Two years ago today, while we were struggling to finish the plumbing in the house (we ended up calling in the professionals, $2400) the snow was waist deep on the level. By mid-February, our driveway looked like a white hallway. I have pictures where the snow berms were above my head.

We had so much snow that the governor declared our county a “disaster area” (whatever that means), which brought a fancy snow-blowing snowplow from the state to dig out our road. (Our Forest Service road averages one car an hour past our house, but it’s also a county road, which means it’s regularly plowed and sanded in the winter, and graded in the summer. This is known as a “boon.”) Fancy snowplow driver: “Only 1.6 miles to the turnaround? I’ll have it cleared in two hours.” Mike, the local plow driver: “Uh …” Ten hours later, the fancy snowblower plow came limping out, tail between its legs. (It did finally get the road cleared, leaving 78-inch vertical berms on both sides.)

Moral: This year, we might have expected more snow by now.

But, the Lord decided to carry all our snow to Copenhagen, to help persuade the global warmists. (Is it working?) We’re left with a paltry few inches on the ground. But there was enough to go sledding not long ago.

At our house, sledding usually consists of thirty minute’s dress-up time, 6.5 minutes sledding, 10 minutes chasing dogs who’ve snatched hats or gloves on the way down, 11 minutes throwing snowballs at each other, 17 throwing snowballs for the dogs, and one person running back crying to the house every 4.3 minutes. (It also involves enough wet snow things on the floor to pave a road from here to Texas, but that’s another story.)

Not this time. We had a great time for an hour or more, the seven of us: Dad, Emma, Becca, Katie, Abby, Natalie, and Sarah. Maybe it’s because it took a while to get the driveway good and polished. Maybe because it took so long to hike back up to the top every time. But we wore ourselves out, and it was nice to go back to the warm house, by a crackling fire, with hot cocoa from Mama.

Mmm, winter.