Our grandmother was a wise and gentle woman who taught us that what people
do behind closed doors (or in a voting booth) is no one else’s business, and
that we should practice love rather than preach damnation. She raised us to stand up for what’s right but
to avoid unnecessary confrontation.
Today, I throw caution to the wind and publicly admit that I love
winter.
The cold air invigorates me, I enjoy the added challenge of walking in
snowshoes, am fascinated by the many tracks and trails left by other creatures
that travel the woods. My dogs romp,
roll, and come home with clean paws.
Some of my friends think I’m daft.
They answered our leading question, ‘what do you love about winter?’
with varying degrees of good-natured sarcasm:
“Nothing,” from Sandy Rugg; “The flies are all dead,” from Maxine Cook;
and, from Karen Thomas, “The only good thing about winter is that, with each
passing day, we are closer to spring.”
Others were a little more charitable to the season, if only because
avoiding it allows them to stay indoors and enjoy certain pleasures. Trystina Cox and Pat Reed enjoy the cozy
feeling of being wrapped in a blanket.
Wendy Stanton and Linda Troy fill their homes with the delicious smells
of comfort food. Jay Boyer finds time to
read and Eric Fogle finds time to draw.
Deana Foust has loved winter from her early childhood when she and her
cousins would go sledding at their grandmother’s house. They would trudge up the hill, stumbling
through the ditch as the road surface was tightly packed and frozen, pulling a
green wooden sled behind them. The three
of them would pile on, the oldest having the honor of sitting up front and
steering with his feet, the younger girls each wrapping her arms and legs
around the cousin in front. The other
two would then push with all their might and the sled would whoosh away!
Becky Garreston Perigo was a shy child, preferring to play on her own in
the woods near the Quemahoning Reservoir.
She would pile and shape the snow into a throne where she would sit very
still and quiet. Without the sounds of
traffic or other children, she could actually hear the soft drop of new
snowflakes onto previous days’ accumulation.
Becky would stay and play in her private kingdom until the bread bags
inside her boots would finally begin to leak and she’d have to go home to warm
her feet.
Heidi Pristas Maus and Lenny Rhominsky both love to see the evergreen
trees heavy with snow, their bows bending beneath its weight, making caves
around their trunks where little animals may find shelter. Though she’s now the teacher, Heidi still
enjoys the two-hour delays and the unplanned freedom of snow days.
Bonnie Nunamaker and Wendy Cernansky enjoy the winter nights when all is
calm and quiet. Even without the moon,
the stars reflect enough light to walk through the crisp snow, making those
first footprints after a fresh fall.
Wendy walks the yet-to-be-shoveled sidewalks with her dogs while Bonnie
walks the fields, accompanied by three fainting goats, all frolicking like
children.
Debbie Benedict takes delight in those times when a heavy snow is
followed by ice. The trees are coated
and crackle with the least bit of movement.
As the sun sinks, its last rays shine across the frozen ground, making
the ice sparkle like diamonds, sometimes like a rainbow.
Then there’s young Carole Kelly.
She suffers from asthma and is unable to spend much time outdoors when
it’s cold, but winter is still her favorite season. Her father, Justin, works construction and
her mother, Nina, is a nurse. Her older
brothers, Lee and Stephen, are in school.
Winter is special to Carole, not because of Christmas, nor snowmen and snow
angels; winter is special because her Daddy is laid off and for a few hours
each day, she has him all to herself.
Phil Balko is
the proprietor of Photography by Balko, a full-service studio specializing in
senior portraits, custom wedding, and lifestyle photography. To see more of his work, visit
http://philipbalko.com/. You may contact
Phil at inquiry@philipbalko.com or (814)352-5327.
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