Winter

It's not that I'm trying to boast, but I seem to be developing a reputation as the Winter Expert. This is in spite of the fact that I'm not a particular fan of winter. I do like having 4 seasons, but Winter could be a lot shorter, if you ask me!

Here in New York, we are digging out from a blizzard over the weekend, and it is really easy to see that some people need remedial lessons in coping with the weather.

1) Wear a hat. Just do it. Whoever you are trying to impress by going hatless is not nearly as impressed as you think they are. I did an informal study of the commuters this morning and noticed that people without hats were not smiling. And confidentially to the hatless lady wearing the fur coat, you can be silly and rich (and cold) at the same time.

2) Wear boots. For reasons, see item 1. P.S. both of these items have been added to honor my mother.

3) Zip your jacket. Saturday night, in the middle of the storm, the teenage son of the super at my apartment complex was helping shovel the walks. He was complaining how cold he was, and the snow had totally stuck all over the sweatshirt he wore under his open jacket. I asked why he didn't zip his jacket and he said it was broken. So I asked if it was ok if I tried to zip it for him and lo and behold, a miracle occurred and God fixed the broken zipper. Or something like that.

4) Ok, now that I've echoed what mothers have been saying for generations, I've got a request for you, too. Don't dress your kids in itchy clothes. It's not worth it.

5) Shovel your walks. This item is here to honor my father, who always made sure we had the best shoveled walks in the neighborhood. I know that it is physically hard to shovel, but if you are not well enough to shovel you are also not well enough to fall on the ice that will stick around for a couple of weeks if you don't shovel before people trample a path through the snow. Anyway, this is why God made teenage boys. They are like human snowblowers if you motivate them (preferably with cash). We had a couple who were trolling the parking lots yesterday. One showed a truly creative technique in which he scooped a shovel-full of snow in between the cars, and flung it overhead to land in the open spot behind him, without denting the cars on either side. Truly impressive.

5) Learn to measure. I hate to break it to you, but you don't choose the deepest drift when you are measuring how much snow you have. I'll probably get run out of town for this, but around me, we actually got around 10-14" of snow, not the 20" everybody is claiming. That's sort of like standing on tiptoe when you say how tall you are. And while we are on the topic of measuring, if you quote the wind-chill temperature, don't pretend that it is actually the number on the thermometer.

6)Remember the fun of snow. I work with a lot of people from warmer climates, who have never experienced a real snow storm. So I make it my business to teach them how to make snow angels and snowmen. Indoor activities can be fun too. Years ago, I spent a snow day learning to crochet. I intentionally did something new, so I would take advantage of the extra day off. And how about some hot chocolate? Or maybe a stew in the crock-pot? If you want something quicker, here's my recipe for an instant winter meal: 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, then fill the can with milk and pour that into the pot too. Add one can of corn, with the juice (use a can about the same size as the soup can). Add one can of tuna or salmon. Heat until simmering and serve.

7) Think about the miracle of snow. We usually think of water as being either liquid, frozen solid, or steam, but snow is a whole different thing. It's frozen, but it's fluffy. All the snow-making machines in the world can't make as much snow as one storm. To top it off, each snowflake is so intricate. I don't know if every snowflake is actually unique or not, but they are really amazing. Here's a link to some photos of snow crystals
Personally, if I were going to blanket multiple states with snow, I would start with a structural building block that required less work, but once again we see examples of the abundant creativity of God.