Snowed in

The threat of a big snowstorm heading towards Very Long Island did not stop me from making the drive to visit my sister, brother-in-law, and their very cute twin babies. In fact, I was hoping to get snowed in. Any excuse to stay and play with my six-month-old nieces.

I wasn’t disappointed. The snowstorm dumped a whole bunch of snow on their little town. Inside the house, my sister built a fire in the fireplace and we played with the babies, who are just beginning to crawl. My sister had thought to buy wine and chocolate in anticipation of the blizzard. My brother-in-law, who loves to cook, made us a feast of Mediterranean food which we ate with warm pita bread. 

When the babies took their afternoon nap, I put on my winter clothes to take a walk in the storm (and to do a little freelance photography for the Hampton Bee). It was funny to see this little beach community all covered in snow. An emergency ban kept vehicles off the road, and I saw very few people as I trudged into a wind that stung my eyes with bits of sharp snow.

I did find one little store that had stayed open during the storm. That’s is where I encountered my first hardship of the big storm. They had sold out of chocolate chip cookies. I had to settle for oatmeal raisin. But I put the cookies inside my coat to protect them, and I trudged back along the snow-covered streets, feeling like Pa Ingalls carrying a bucket of wheat back to the claim shanty.

 

Winter

We had barely any snow for the holiday season this year. I didn’t even have to worry about any of the family members who were traveling: the pavements were dry. For the last month, my house has been filled to the brim with family: eating, talking, and just hanging out. My youngest sister brought her six-month-old twins for a whole week, and we spent seven days just playing with the babies. My kids (all in their twenties now) and some of their friends (the ones we’ve always called “extras”) have gathered here in the evenings to play board games at the kitchen table or sometimes video games on their laptop computers. When the weather finally turned cold, I built a fire in the fireplace, and the house filled with all kinds of warmth.

This week is the first winter weather we’ve had. The holiday travelers have gone home. My kids are back at work and school. Outside my house, every tree branch is coated with heavy snow. And I’m sitting in a comfy chair in my home office, writing.