After a 2 day running respite, the family said so what? to the icy roads and headed out into the amazing sun. There's something brilliant about the sun bouncing off the white snow/ice. I practically needed sunglasses. Our road wasn't so bad. Mostly slush. But we crossed Sharon and headed into a wooded, hilly terrain that will lead you to believe that you aren't in Charlotte anymore. These babies were solid ice. I found myself secure for a few moments, then Sliiiiide. Stable. Sliiiiide. I finally jogged off the pavement, or at least what I think was pavement, in search of more snow-solid off-road patches.
At the very moment I had a morbid thought of Mark suddenly slipping and losing control of the baby jogger, I saw him wrap the safety strap around his wrist. I think this was the first time we ever used it.
One of the more impressive hills, one that isn't taken lightly in the best of circumstances, was completely covered with a thick sheet of ice. When we came to the corner, we were met by the sound of a whizzing sled. The person on their belly was so quick all we could make out was a purple jacket. Of course we suspected that it was one brave little girl. You can imagine our surprise when we discovered it was a woman well into her 50s. The AT&T truck ruined my hill with the chains, she said, pointing to the intrusive van at the top of the hill. But this didn't stop her from heading back down again.
She wasn't the only ole timer getting their kicks on the very cool wooden flyers. We discovered a man in his 70s sledding down an equally admirable slope. I can't find any kids to play with, he laughed. He plopped his belly down on the slats, gave himself a little push, and zoom! He was off. Down the hill, round the bend and out of sight.
Eventually we made it back to our house and found a large crowd of folks sledding at the end of a nearby cul-de-sac. Heath and Mark were all prepared to give the ole cookie sheet a whirl, but some kind neighbors let them take a number of turns on a real deal sled. Once again all the great snow play and fantastic sunshine did a number on Mr. Heath. After a hearty lunch of ham rolls and grapes, he insisted on putting on his cozy, fire trucks--his fleece pajamas that were fresh out of the dryer. Without a word, he was out in seconds flat. Lovely, lovely hour and a half nap for the little guy.
Speaking of lovely, Aunt Debbie and Goma volunteered to watch Heath and Stella tonight while we went out for some much-needed alone time. We ate Italian, then stopped at Caribou for tea and coffee. Mark and I courted one another in many local coffee shops all over Charlotte. It's still my absolute favorite date.
I feel almost refreshed. Good thing, too. No preschool tomorrow.
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