Snowy Thoughts

The snow this week and last got me to thinking about snowy memories involving our family - the most recent one the "off again, on again" family cabin weekend last February. While we all wanted snow, we really had hoped it wouldn't start until we were already there. But looking out the window into the beautiful snowy woods was breathtaking and being together made it all worthwhile.

One of the memories we talked about was the snowstorm of 1958 when Arlene's boyfriend at the time got snowed in. As the story went Bob and John were not allowed to go away that evening because they needed to put chains on the tractor so they could use the tractor to bring their sisters home. Arlene, her boyfriend, and Joyce were attending a Valentine's dinner at a friend's house in Millersville. There were some disagreement on the details of how they actually got them home, but we all agreed we were snowed in from Saturday night until Thursday. Some of the younger of us remembered that as being the time when John and Bob made a bobsled. We had so much fun sliding down the Blue Rock Hill on that bobsled, something we could do because there was no traffic on the road. Story goes that Arlene and her boyfriend broke up soon after that snowstorm - I guess the Dombachs proved to be too much for the poor guy. (But that's okay; we're happy to have Ken in the family instead!)

I remember a second snowstorm that same winter; for that one we were out of electricity for several days and I was sick in bed. I remember Daddy and the boys bringing the stripping room stove into the family room to provide warmth and Mom even making soup on top of that stove.

I also remember a snowstorm when we lived on the Metzler farm near Manheim. It snowed on Saturday and church was canceled, but that didn't stop us. We hitched the bobsled (I'm guessing it was the same one) behind the tractor and went to the Ginder home for church on Sunday morning. With two pastors and a bishop in the neighborhood, it wasn't hard to find someone to provide the morning meditation - I just can't remember if it was Henry, or Wilbur, or Clyde. The neighborhood home church and potluck which followed will long live in all our memories, I am sure. It was probably one of the few interdominational services held in that day and time.

Just this week I was reading a comment by someone on the impending storm and the "run out to the store and get milk, bread, etc. philosophy. This person wondered why all the fuss; do we really think we won't be able to get out for days on end? Guess maybe that person didn't have the same memories we have, but then I have long gotten past the "run out and stock up idea" - unless I really am out of bread and milk - and then I am going to get those items. Not because it is going to snow, but because I really do need them.