matching tracksuits

fun in threes, sometimes fours

g

Snow

A snowy Sunday morning really has to start with bacon, eggs, and a couple of cinnamon buns. The long-awaited snow arrived, beginning last night, and we were all excited to see white outside in the morning.

As is the case more often than not when we finally do get snow, there was not much of it to speak of. Wet and heavy, it sat on the yard with blades of grass sticking up almost everywhere.

The kids were eager to get out as soon as possible, especially E.

"Let's make a snow fort!" he squealed.

"I don't think it's good snow for that," K tried to explain. "It's too wet. Wet, wet, wet," she said, but E wasn't convinced. What six-year-old living in South Carolina would be? Snow is snow is snow.

We had similar a year ago:

Slush

Heading out, we discovered the freezing mix that followed it had coated most everything with a layer of ice, leaving K to worry if her rosemary bush, which seems indestructible, might indeed finally die. But there were more important things, like a dog that was thrilled to be in the snow and two kids almost as excited.

We decided to head out and see what the neighborhood looked like. Part of that was to gauge how K might make it to work tomorrow and part of it was to estimate whether we'd be heading back to school on Wednesday or Thursday.

Monday and Tuesday, we knew, would be a wash. The temperature is supposed to drop Monday night, leaving everything an even slicker mess, and even if it didn't, our county is huge, running up into the foothills up north. Even if it's passable here, it's not there.

Our exploring showed us that we weren't the only ones out: there were a few tracks left behind by brave souls -- tongue in cheek there -- who went out in the snow (which was more slush than anything on the road and entirely drive-able), and we encountered a couple returning home with staples in hand -- beer and chips.

The Boy, golf club in hand, enjoyed exploring all the places the slush looked like ice. He slapped and swung at every slushy puddle he saw.

The Girl was thrilled to have the dog in tow.

In the evening, K made the pierogi and uszka we'll be having Christmas Eve. The Boy got to play with some dough, and I was given the boot since I don't work well with perogi, K in formed me.

Coming Snow

We've heard about it all week, which is typical here in South Carolina. Yet it's so unpredictable that forecasters no longer call it "a winter storm" or "a snow storm" but rather "a winter weather event."

At the beginning of the week, the story had it that it was supposed to start Saturday morning. There would be tons of snow or tons of ice or both. And what fell would stick around for a while, because the temperature was supposed to stay low for some time.

A bit frustrating -- using up a snow day just a couple of weeks before winter break. The make-up day switches to a regular school day, and we lose that little respite in March or April when we actually need it.

But in the end, there's little purpose in fretting about it. The weather is out of our control, and the decision to cancel school is out of our control.

What was in our control today was how to spend the rainy, cold evening. We're probably the last on our block to put up our Christmas tree, but we have an excuse: K's Polish roots require -- demand -- a compromise on the "Up Just After Thanksgiving" (or, these days, before Thanksgiving) "Down On Boxing Day" American tree tradition and the "Up a Couple of Days Before Christmas Down at the End of January" Polish tradition.

We go mid-December to mid-January. Today I guess we were a little ahead of schedule.

And the snow? As I write, there's a light dusting on everything and more coming.

Nana’s First Hospital Intake

Nowy Targ Cemetery

Winter Sunset, Jablonka

 

Wednesday Evening

Math homework with the Girl; Christmas cards with the Boy; toys with Clover.

Family Game

We had a little family game time this evening. L came downstairs and asked if we could play Forbidden Island or whatever that game that has a 15+ page instruction book is called. I’d laughed at the rules earlier when L and K were trying to figure it out: three different decks of cards (or is it four), multiple little things you can do, a turn that seems to last forever — it just seemed overly complicated.

Tonight, I sat down with them and let them explain it. Fairly simple when it comes down to it — I guess I just wasn’t willing to do the work at the beginning, digging through the instructions and figuring it out.

It’s interesting in that instead of playing against the other players, you’re all trying to accomplish the same goal. Cooperation instead of competition.

A great way to spend the evening.

Inside the Nowy Targ Bus Station

Zakopane in November

Playing in the Hall