Cookie sheet sleds, a city and park transformed, three Akitas who looked like they were about to go on a sled, successful mitten-wearing, and only one tearful moment over the fact that there weren't any ducks.
As many of you know, this past weekend in the northeast was a mixture of foreboding fear ("Snowstorm of the century is coming!") to joyous celebration (NYC just had a pristine fluffy foot of snow, perfect for sledding!). I feel for you, Massachusetts and Long Island, that you got so hammered...
For the first time we were able to convince August to wear his mittens, which made all the difference. The previous time we'd taken him out in the snow he refused to wear them and unsurprisingly his hands became icicles, which he held out and cried to us piteously, "Hurt! Hurt". It was both pathetic and infuriating.
So being able to watch him experience snow with joy was a wonderful thing, and in a way it felt like an inauguration. His first time enjoying snow. You know, throwing it up in the air and watching it sparkle (it was fine dry snow), tasting it, smacking branches to watch it patter down, and of course sledding. When we went out the everything was still at that magical point of a city transformed, the buildings a geometric backdrop to the soft lines of pure white, the trees graphic linear elements with branches framing bright blue sky in black and white. Lacy. Everything felt lacy.
We haven't gotten August a sled yet so Paul suggested we make one out of a cookie sheet, harking back to his childhood in Texas, where it was never worth buying a sled but also never worth missing out on the rare snowfull and a good swoop down a hill. I discovered my cookie sheets have holes in one end, I suppose for potentially hanging on a hook. Who would hang a cookie sheet on a wall?? But the holes were perfect for attaching twine pulls which we used to haul around August and his best friend in the building Leo.
August was fearless, as he often is in front of Leo, like he's showing off. Look Leo, check me out! Leo is happy to gaze on in admiration. This isn't just me saying it, his parents say it too and laugh. There was much "Ageh? Ageh? AGEH!!" from August which equals "Again".
We are so lucky to live across from such a park as this, one often reviewed as one of the loveliest in the country. And doubly lucky that it is our entire view, because from here we can still see pristine snow fading off up the hill into the woodsy part, where no one has walked. Untrammeled snow is one of the most beautiful views in life.
A belated wish to all of you that you hopefully went through the snowstorm safe and warm, with no power outages or stuck cars! And for those not in the northeast, that you are enjoying fine weather and t-shirts.
xo
Kimi
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