Snow Day!

I grew up in Upstate New York, born in the Adirondacks to be exact. I know what it is to wake up to fresh snow on the ground. I also know what it is like to not see the ground under that snow for months on end. I have made snowballs and igloos, snow angels and forts. I have laid in the snow and watched the newly falling flakes settle around me for hours (no kidding!). I have, also, shoveled driveways, scraped ice and snow off of car windows (every freaking day, sometimes), had near death experiences on roads covered with frozen water in one form or another, and been stranded places by the pretty white stuff. Yes, I have a love/hate relationship with snow.

But, when you live in the desert, snowfall is few and far between. It does not stick around long, if it even "sticks" at all. Yes, you can drive to see it any time you want up on the mountain. But, sometimes, maybe once a year, you can wake up to find a little of the frozen white water gracing your yard. If you are really lucky it will stick around long enough to make a snowball or even a tiny snowman.

This was one of those mornings. Not having anything scheduled for this day, I did not have any set time I needed to be up and about. I did, however, set my alarm, to help shift my wakeup time earlier in prep for a very early wake up on Friday. It was unusually dark when I awoke. Must be cloudy, I thought as I got out of bed. Something prompted me to peek out the blinds. There it was. Snow on our trampoline, only on the edges, but still. Snow. E was already up with me, so I went into A's room and woke her to show her the snow. We went downstairs and out in the backyard to touch it before it melted. If I had not set my alarm, it would have melted before we had a chance to see it. Such is the ephemeral nature of snow in the desert.

E got a handful and I took a couple pictures. That is all we had time for. This time.