MUD

So... by now you've all heard how crazy I was the other night about mud. Well, what I didn't tell you was that everyone else was just as excited (once they knew that mud means spring). This is truly a unique feeling of excitement, as typically we dread the mud.

Where we are, instead of four seasons, there are five. The fifth being mud. That means, mud for months. In fact, I think spring is really only counted because it's known everywhere else in the world. Spring is usually a few weeks, and then it's summer.

Never-the-less, mud season usually means extra cleaning, yelling at the kids to stop and take off shoes as they go running into the main section of the house. It means cars getting stuck in driveways, shoes being sucked in as if in quicksand, in means digging your own trench in the hopes that the water will find its way elsewhere so the mud can go away!

Mud is typically something to dread. Really dread. (Unless you have 4 Wheel Drive and love to go "mudding"....even then, I've been on a few rides where we've gotten stuck in the middle of a very muddy, sticky field!)

The excitement comes when you look at what we've been through this year. Where snow starts flying in late October, and sticking in Early December (or was it around Thanksgiving....I can't recall now, there's been so much). As the snow gets to sticking (and building), the temps drop to below freezing at night, slightly above during the day. Winds pick up, the temps drop to below zero at night and just below freezing during the day. And then......temps don't come above zero at all! Snow is still flying.. mostly snow, but some other wintery mess as well.

By the time January finally comes in, we're done with winter... in spirit! But, with an early start, there's an early thaw... the nice respite brought temps from zero to 60 in a day! Talk about melt off.. with rain! But, that was short lived... our snow mounds might have shrunk by half and we still had two to three feet of snow! The thaw ended with three big storms in the space of a week! Short lived! The snow was back and higher than before!

The storms have not really let up... and neither of have the temps.... although we get a teaser day every so often, so I keep hoping that means the temps will be nicer soon! As February prepares to close, the snow keeps coming... the mounds outside (not touched with the shovel) are getting close to four feet standing...and cabin fever has given way to delirium!

And so.... We Love Mud!

Short Lived Excitement

A couple of nights ago at the dinner table Bob says to us, "Guess what I saw in the driveway?" I, of course, recognize that this must be something great. I start thinking about everything that might be in the driveway which might excite the kids....new snow? no. new pet? no. unexpected friends? no. A Robin! no.....and then I get it! MUD!

Yes! MUD! My eyes light up, my excitement overflowing! Gabi is looking at me like I grew a new head! But that doesn't matter... there's MUD! Finally we tell the kids that mud means spring is coming... and will be here soon! Though I know snow is due to come throughout the week, I push that to the back of my mind. It doesn't matter... we have MUD!

As I look out my window this morning, and see the driveway ever shrinking way, mounds of unwanted snow all around, I feel the dimness of despair as it registers fully that winter is not giving up so easily!

But then I remember....MUD! And know that somewhere beneath all the wintery mess is MUD! And this makes me smile!