Blizzard Blast Equals Family Fun

Sledding at Triggs, 20 years ago - my daughter captured this action
shot where my husband & I hit a bump and went flying!

Three days post-blizzard.  It’s Monday and schools are closed to allow more time for the plows to finish clearing roads and school parking lots.  When I was growing up, it seemed we had a lot of snow throughout the winter, from the end of November through March.  I remember walking to school in my winter boots and spending a lot of time at Triggs, the local golf course, sledding on a big hill to the side of the parking lot there.  In recent years, we have had less and less snowfall but, nevertheless, I buy snow boots for my sons every year.  And this year, we actually needed them.  

I have to confess, I was looking forward to a big snowstorm and enjoying the family time we would share together.  We had plenty of food, drinks and would have some fun in the snow!  The 2013 blizzard began early on Friday as just some light snow, but by evening the wind had picked up and snow was really coming down.  The lights flickered over the course of few hours.  At one point electricity went out completely for just long enough to cause us to have to reset the clocks, but it came back on after several seconds and stayed on.  We all cuddled on the couch and watched a TV special about the Blizzard of ‘78’ which crippled Rhode Island exactly 35 years and a day from this “Nemo” Blizzard.

While everyone still slept on Saturday morning, I shoveled a bit of the front walk and went for a neighborhood stroll.  It looked abandoned, with an occasional plow and people here and there beginning to dig out of 2 feet of snow.  I passed a friend’s house where she and her husband were shoveling.  We chatted, agreed to meet up later for drinks and I trudged back home.  

My husband paid a couple of neighborhood kids to shovel the walk and driveway and then after lunch we bundled up the boys and all went outside to play, clear a little more snow and drink lemon drop martinis!   My friend on the other street came by for a drink, and we joked with the city guy supervising the plow truck who enviously eyed our martinis.   I took photos of my husband and sons goofing off in the snow.   After a hearty dinner of a delicious beef stew, we all passed out from exhaustion and FUN!  

Thanks Nemo, you really weren’t so bad…