The Book of Me, Written By You - Prompt 15 SNOW

"The Book of Me, Written By You" is a GeneaBloggers project created by Julie Goucher of the Anglers Rest blog. The concept: a series of blogging and writing prompts that help family historians capture their own memories and write about themselves.

This week’s prompt is Snow
    •    Do you live in area where you routinely have snow?
    •    How old were you when you first saw snow? 
    •    Do you remember it? 
    ◦    Did you make snowmen? 
    ◦    Throw Snowballs?
    ◦    Sledge Rides?
    •    What is the image that first came to mind when you read snow?
    •    What does snow
    ◦    feel like,
    ◦    smell like
    •    How do you see snow? 

Before moving to Texas, I have only ever lived in one place that did not routinely have snow.  The first fifty years of my life were spent in Northern Illinois.  Snow is always part of the picture there.  My first winter was spent in Adrian, Michigan where I am told I took naps on the front porch in the buggy.  That is when I probably saw snow for the first time, although I don't remember it.

We lived a block from a park which featured a wonderful hill for sledding!  Many winter days were spent pulling the sled up the hill only to race back down again!

At the top of the hill was a warming house with restrooms and concessions that were open on weekends and evenings.  Since we lived so close, we rarely used the concession stand.  If one went straight through the warming house and out the other side, there was a skating rink.  As a "tween", before tweens existed, I used to go skating there until 9pm most evenings.  It was the winter hang out place for most of the junior high kids.

The front yard of our house usually had a snowman or three in various stages of construction or deconstruction as well as a wall we huddled behind for protection during snowball wars.

After mom moved to Florida,  there was not as much winter fun except for the time my youngest brother brought his Florida born fiancee up North for Christmas.  Dave and I lived in Kaneville at the time and it was our turn to host the family Christmas party.  Dinner was served in out basement since the number of guests required the use of three banquet tables.  After dinner and assorted amusements, the guests began to leave.  As they ventured to their cars we found it was snowing big, fat, wet, heavy snowflakes.  Now it was time for snowball fights, and making snow angels! Imagine the spectacle of five couples in their 30s and 40s along with their assorted children scampering in the snow.  The neighbors loved it and of course we told my brother's fiancee it was arranged just for her!