Winter Woes and a Rainbow

I posted most of what follows on a friend’s Ravelry group for a chance to win free yarn.  YES!  I said free yarn!!!  As I was typing, it occurred to me that I hadn’t made a blog post in some time and if this blog is ever going to be even remotely interesting (not that it ever will anyway) at some point in the future, I do need to post, post, post and post again.  So, I fondly copy and paste from one place to another.  So what if it is cheating!

“My first winter in Rochester, NY, was the winter of 2001-2002. Yes, indeed, this was the winter that Buffalo got 8 feet of snow Christmas week. Guess what we got! If you guessed: “bupkis,” “nada,” “nilch,” “squat,” “zippo,” “zilch,” “zero,” or any other term that equates to nary a sad little flake, well, you would be right. This was the year that snow had to be purchased from Buffalo for our snow days celebrations. It was depressing for me, having been away from snow for some 18 years. I cried. Yes, I cried on Christmas. I had been so looking forward to my first white Christmas in 18 years and mother nature robbed me!

There have been a few years that have made up for that first year I was here in Rochester, but none so much (at least so far) as this one. Over the years, I have steadily learned to appreciate winter from indoors. Some years I’ve grumbled and groaned and complained heartily about having to clean the snow off my car several times a day. None of them, however, have compared to this year. This year, I’m done. I’m truly done. I can say with ease, that I regret every stupid snow dance I have ever done. Truly!

Oh wait! What am I saying? Have I lost my mind? I’m a knitter who has an ongoing love affair with anything wool, alpaca, llama, goat, bison, or any other wonderfully fibrous creature that so generously supplies me with soft, warm and luxurious yarns with which to sooth my ornery soul! (Yes, I’m feeling ornery!) My craft demands colder climates in which lovingly created garments, socks, blankets and the like can live in joyous harmony rather than hide away in closets, drawers and bins! I should be thanking winter for giving me a break from outdoor yard chores and allowing me plenty of time to sit quietly in my chair, either watching movies, listening to music or even listening to audio books while the motion of my knitting needles carries me away to peaceful, relaxing dreams of sitting on sandy beaches in the embracing warmth of Helios.”

On a side note. I was particularly frustrated with the extremely slow driver on my way to work this past Monday morning.  I was cussing and annoyed and well, irritated!  Then I made my normal left hand turn on to Maplewood Drive and saw this beautiful rainbow.  What a message!  I wished then, that there wasn’t so much snow so that I could pull over and get a photo.  Also, it wasn’t to be in that moment.  However, when I arrived at work, the rainbow was there, off in the distance and significantly smaller, but, none the less, there.  It was a beautiful start to a new week and a very powerful reminder to slow down and smell the roses. Or in this case, enjoy a beautiful and rare winter rainbow.

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