~for upon having some fun in this life~

Good afternoon friends from home, here in Kansas.  For the second time in less than a week, school was cancelled for all of the students/staff for USD 308, Hutchinson.  The decision was made in the evening hours last night to call off school for the day due to more of the same inclement weather conditions that the Sunflower State has been experiencing since last Wednesday.   At this point in time on Monday afternoon, our county is still listed within a "Blizzard Warning" until tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.  Snow has been falling since mid-day but very little extra accumulation is being seen, at least here.  With the temperature sitting at 34 degrees  now, I guess that's just enough warmth to do the trick.  Since this IS Kansas, we can all probably expect temperatures  later on in the week with highs in the 50's and 60's.  As they often say, IF you don't like the weather just.....wait a bit, cause it is bound to change.  Guess I wouldn't mind if it would change back and stay that way.

Rather than just sit around in the house today, I made the decision after lunch to do something that in all of my 57 years of being that I had NEVER done.  And I gotta say, it kind of "pains me" to admit to it, heck it's unbelievable enough that it's almost embarrassing to own up to  it, but since you guys already know more about me than I ever thought I'd tell anyone anyways, well here goes...

Today, for the first time in my whole entire life, I went outside and in the middle of all the snow on the ground and the snow showering down from the heavens above, I made a snowman.  Yes, you read that right...I made my very first snowman, EVER!  Kind of pathetic isn't it?  57 years old and NEVER made a snowman~Today seemed as good a time as any.  Here's what "she" ended up looking like when the whole ordeal was done.  And even though I've been pretty much a life-long hater of snow and cold weather, I think she ended up pretty dang good!

Now I'd love to tell you that this job of snowman building was done totally by myself with no outside help from anyone.  But if I did, then I'd be lying.  Right before I went outside to start the process, I told my 24-year old son, Grahame, exactly what I was going to do.  He had a surprised look on his face and I died laughing saying I wasn't even sure how to do it but I was going to try it anyways.  It didn't take long before he had grabbed the shovel from his car and joined me.  Grahame knew just what to do and started building me up a huge mound of snow that was just PERFECT for sculpting "snow" things today.  Thank goodness that boy knew how to get the whole process started.  I would have been humiliated beyond belief to have had to go to U-Tube to look up something as simple sounding as "building a snowman".   (yet, don't think that I wouldn't have done that if all else failed!)  I believe I shall call her "Eleanore" and by my best guesstimate she's about 4 feet tall.  Oh my gosh, FINALLY something that even I am taller than :)

We were out there in the front yard for nearly an hour, working at moving snow around to build a decent shape snowman and even though it was cold and snowing, neither of us complained.  We were having fun doing something that didn't cost either of us one "blooming" dime.  The only investment we had in it was the time together and as it turns out it was time very well spent.  For all of the moments as a young mother that I sadly admit to not stopping long enough to do such fun things as this with my children, today, well today I did.  And you know what?  I had the time of my life doing so; if you could have measured my blood pressure during any part of the process you might have found yourself saying, "Wow, wish I had blood pressure as good as you do!".

I'm going to take a quick poll here, so listen up friends.  A show of hands here, how many of you are guilty (just like me) of not taking time to have fun and play in this life?  Don't be bashful about acknowledging it, a lot of us are guilty.  Yep, I figured that would be the case.  I could ask you why that is so but I'm guessing that I already have a good idea of the answer.  Perhaps you have been just like me in life and have devoted so much energy to working at your jobs, raising your family, helping others and being involved in a million other things that you forgot to do one of the most important things some days...HAVING FUN! And friends, I would be so remiss to not say this to you~IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO DO SO.  The photo above is living proof that it's never too late, never a bad time to learn to have some fun for yourselves. Would I want to make a snowman every day?  Probably not.  Am I glad that I made one today?  You can bet that I most certainly am!

It's nigh onto nearly 4:30 in the afternoon now and this is one "snow day" that has flown by pretty dang quick. The temperature outside the door sits right even with the freezing mark at 32 degrees with the wind out of the north at just about 20 mph.  In a couple of days things will start to warm up and poor "Eleanore" will be just a pile of mushy and dirty snow with a blue plaid hat sitting atop it.  And even though Grahame and I had a lot of fun building her, even we realize that when it is said "to everything there is a season" that snowmen are included in it as well.  And if there is never another time for me to create a snowman, then for sure I have done so this day.

Take good care my dear friends and family.  Stay well, warm, and at peace within yourself.  Wishing you a warm and cozy evening, no matter where you may find yourself this night.  Have a good evening everyone :)

I hope that when I finish "growing up" that I will be a lot like my son Grahame.