(Just call me Tundra Woman.)
It was the coldest, snowiest winter in recent memory. The bathroom tiles were icy on my bare feet that morning. Oh how I wished we’d sprung for fixing that wall heater. Seconds later, the naive assumption the toilet lid was up didn’t improve my mood.
Misery Loves Company by Allie Taylor
My feet froze all morning. (Why oh why didn’t I order those battery socks I saw in The Vermont Country Store catalog?)
Scanning the headlines at lunch, I absently reached for a sip.
Not my water bottle, the Windex. Sigh. (And ugh.)
I slipped on the only boots I could scrounge up by the side door (size 12 clodhoppers) and clumped on out to check for mail. None yet.
And grrr….someone had forgotten to close the mailbox. Again.
Later, we gathered the piano books and ventured out for his afternoon lesson. The wind howled. We shivered. I cleared off the side and back windows with the snow brush. It took an eternity and a day for the car heater to kick in. The windshield wipers were stuck in an icy frozen arc. The defroster eventually did the trick. Finally, we were on our way.
We made it to the lesson without incident. Exhale. The lesson now over, we bundled back up for the freezing ride home. It was only five o’clock, but it might as well’ve been midnight. It was pitch black. I clicked the dome light so he could see to buckle up. Only it wasn’t the dome light. The crusty remains of last night’s snowstorm dumped onto my head, shoulders and passenger seat as the sunroof slowly slid open. My collar was full. My lap was full. The console was full. I shuddered violently. Silence.
Then an angry little voice filtered up from the inky Black Hole behind me. “It’s not MY fault!”
On God’s green earth, did ANYONE say that it was?
Misery Loves Company. Move to New England. Today.
You might never leave.
Or you might.
nancy mcmahan says
Sorry but I had to laugh at the sunroof opening. Brought back memories.
Allie Taylor says
Glad you’re laughing. Me too. Gotta laugh or we’ll cry!
Becky says
I so enjoyed this article and the pics are wonderful. I enjoy your blog so much. It gives me my New England “fix”…especially this time of year when it’s 60 on Christmas Day here on South Carolina. I miss the cold and the snow at Christmas..Im sure I have forgotten how cold New England really is!
Allie Taylor says
Becky — many thanks. So miss your beautiful laugh and smile.
Ann says
It’s not always that cold here in New England. Christmas Day was 45 degrees and sunny in NH. Today it’s 50 and we don’t have any snow. We had one snowstorm a few weeks ago, but it has been a very rainy December.
Barbara Child says
When NOT to have a sun roof!
Jen says
That’s a fantastic story!!!
Cindi B says
Still giggling. You had “one of those days!” Remember they are balanced by snow days, sitting by the fire, cuddling with the wee ones, reading or knitting; and of course, giggling about sun roofs in Winter. Love your posts; they always bring a smile!
Allie Taylor says
Thank you Cindi! You’re so right, just “one of those days”… The beautiful snow and occasional forced indoor hibernation are all part of the charm and memories…
Linda Jenkins says
Oh Allie, I am so sorry, but I have tears running down my cheeks because I am laughing so hard. The only thing that is missing from this tale is a huge spotlight and a man with a microphone shouting, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!” Thank goodness you can now file this away as a memory. Close your eyes and repeat after me, “Sunshine, soft sand, and gentle breezes.”
Hope the family is recuperating. Looking forward to a wonderful 2015 for all.
Allie Taylor says
Sunshine, soft sand and gentle breezes. Sunshine, soft sand….gentle breezes….
jen says
Oh, MY! You are a BRAVE woman to share that with all of us! I chuckled and groaned at the same time! It’s always funnier when it happens to someone ELSE!!
Diana says
Allie your pictures are beautiful and your funny stories make me laugh. Thanks for sharing them.
Heather M says
I laughed and then I almost cried. The ending…winter is so painful for me. In every decision there are pros and cons. Hard winters is a New Hampshire con, but there are some things you just don’t have a choice on. Saying no to God over ridiculous amounts of snow is one of those things. I’m no stranger to brutal winters, which almost makes it harder to prepare myself for them again. Thank you for the reminder that even in ‘winter’ there is laughter.
Allie says
Dear Heather, I’m glad you laughed and sorry you cried. Reality is brutal. Remind me, are you moving to NH? My remaining gray cells are failing me…
Heather M says
That it is! We are moving to the Manchester area. When we are moving is the question of the month(s). The answer is that we aren’t really quite sure. Sometime in the next year. We just know God said “Go” so we will go. We’re just waiting for all the timing to fall into place.
Allie says
Hmmm…that’s very interesting Heather. We were also told that very same thing in the spring of 2003 and moved here on January 1st of 2004. (Here, is Manchester.)