A Snow Day State of Mind

Sharon DiPalo Last week, depending on where you lived, you experienced what winter in New York is all about. It is about endurance. Many people come and visit our state and take in the hundreds of tourist sights it has to offer but you have to be a special breed to live in New York all year around. A few weeks ago when we were undergoing some frigid temperatures accompanied by wind, I kept asking myself why am I still living here. Then, last Friday, when the snow continued to fall and there seemed to be no end in sight, I had an answer— because New York is absolutely beautiful. There is nothing more breathtaking than experiencing the beauty of landscape outlined by snow and ice. Everywhere you looked was a winter wonderland, and for a few hours, Putnam County stood still. Bondi declared a state of emergency, schools were closed, roads were closed, buses stopped, and most people stayed home. Mother Nature gave us no choice but to relax and remind ourselves what she had to offer. We have not had this kind of snowfall in quite a few years and it reminded me of when I was much younger and snow of this caliber was more common. Winter in the l960s brought school buses with huge tire chains and the kids, given a snow day, were outside all day long, building snow forts and snowmen, sleigh riding, and having snow ball fights. Dads spent the day shoveling the driveways and making paths to the mailboxes and for the oil delivery man. Moms were kept busy keeping the snow and ice off the kitchen floor as their kids came in and changed for the second or third time. The reward at the end of a day was a hot cup of chocolate with marshmallows and warming yourself near the fireplace as the entire family sat around and played Scrabble. Roads were covered with snow for days and there was nothing unusual, if you were under five feet tall, about snow being up to your waist or higher.

On Friday, I joined the number of people who stayed home and, not having this opportunity often, I called upon a friend whom joined me as we took a two-hour walk. The trees were absolutely gorgeous with their coat of white snow, the mountains in the distance gave an aura of peace, and the lake we live near was serene as we looked across its surface as some birds took flight overhead.

It was a perfect day spent with a good friend. A rarity. Sure, there was a lot of shoveling to be done, and you had to experience some cold while the power was out for hours, and you had to be patient, but this is New York, expect it. The rewards of living in a state that gives us four seasons, each offering its own beauty, to me, is quite worth the test of endurance sometimes called upon us.

And when it was all said and done, and the roads were plowed and most of the power was back on, Monday we returned to work. As I stood on the sidewalk with others waiting to cross the street, an SUV sped by, oblivious to the snow and slush on the road and spattered us as he went by. As I stood there and sighed, I said to myself, only in New York; but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Christina Grant lives in Brewster.