Candy Coated

 I sometimes miss the frosty windows of my childhood with the little leaf-like, jagged cliff shaped designs on them.  Jack Frost never seemed to miss an evening of painting little pictures on to the cold glass.  Some mornings, after a particularly wet snow, the tree branches would bend and droop seemingly with the weight of the world on their shoulders.  The air was always cold, so we got used to it.  Mittens, gloves, and heavy coats layered over sweaters and long underwear was the uniform of the season.  The jangle of ski-lift tickets hanging from a zipper pull was the song of the season.  Wet socks, boots and melty puddles of ice and snow on the mudroom floor was the sight of the season.  It was winter after all!

When winter layed her blanket of white over Vermont you knew it was there to stay a while.  Sure there would be the occasional glimpses of brown and broken grass beneath the snow but then the clouds would once again roll in carrying more of the fluffy covering.  There was no turning back once Winter arrived in all her glory.

In Arkansas, Winter very rarely visits.  There are times when her distant cousin will give us a glimpse of the fairy tale creature that is Winter.  A dusting of snow, a spattering of ice, a chill in the air that your jean jacket can barely block out.  Yet when Winter’s cousin makes her appearance, the whole world seems to stop.  A single flake of snow sends small children to the moon with excitement.  The mere threat of ice closes schools and causes endless lines at the grocery.

I sometimes miss the frosty windows of my childhood but there is something to be said for the candy coated foliage following an Arkansas Winter storm.