It'scomingIt'scomingIt'scoming!

This is one of those days when I think of people who live in warm states. Sure, it's nice to wear light jackets in December and have flowers in your flowerbed year round, but they never get to experience days like today.

We have BIG snow headed our way.

Out my window right now I see a driveway dusted with snow. Our neighborhood is still recovering from the huge ice storm that ripped through a week ago. Friends around the corner just got their power back yesterday. But we all did okay. We banded together and helped each other out. Those with electricity shared with those who had none. And it was a great excuse to check up on each other.

The ice has melted and just a few ice ravaged tree branches are left behind. Piles of twigs and branches are stacked at the end of each driveway, like we are all gearing up for some big magical bon fire. Bigger limbs still clutter many yards (including ours) because it has been too cold to hack away at them with our chainsaws.

The picture above is what a fifteen year old who loves winter can do with just an inch or two of snow. Scraped off our long driveway and hauled to his sledding hill, he was able to get a few good runs in on his snowboard before the bus came yesterday.

By tonight he will be rejoicing.

See, what we get to experience that is foreign to our southern state neighbors is the thrill of the anticipated storm. If our forecasters are right and Al Roker isn't lying, we are due to get slammed with a huge snowstorm by the time we start dinner. The kids will come home at lunchtime, even before the storm hits, in anticipation of this rocking storm. There is so much excitement in the air even the dog is a bit skittish this morning.

Sure, down South they get hurricanes, but blizzards are much more fun. For one thing we don't worry much about our storms flattening our houses and washing them out to sea. We get a few days warning, so we can join all our neighbors at the grocery store, stocking up on canned chili, milk and bread. Then we get to sit back and watch. It is gorgeous as it comes down (as opposed to a hurricane, which I have not seen but imagine to be not so entertaining). Then once we are blanketed in we get to hunker down and enjoy each other.

Board games are brought out. Candles are lit. Books are shared as we snuggle on the couch together. We might even get to watch of a few of the movies I've checked out from the library. It's all good.

For the past three days we've known this one was coming. The kids have chattered about it at school "Did you hear? We're going to get THREE feet!" (teen age exaggeration) and library patrons at work brought it up over and over again while I checked books out to them. "Hope we don't lose power again!" We all pretend its a bad thing, that we are just not ready for another big storm, but down deep its exciting.

It's like a mini planned vacation, ordered by God. "Hey you, down there on Earth, stay home and enjoy each other for a few days!"

I'm ready. Chili is stocked. Milk's in the fridge. Bring it on. It's time for some good ole' winter fun. And a good old fashioned blizzard.