I’m going to be honest with you all; I had big plans for the snow this winter! Not only did I want toget a bunch of cool winter footage to use in the show and get some great stills to use on our new website, but had plans for just getting out and playing in it! My wife has been on to me for YEARS now about getting new sleds for our kids. We don’t have much of a hill at our house, but Mom and Dad have a huge hill that is great for sledding. And we are pretty close our local high school, which happens to be the best place to sled in our neck of the woods. My kids love playing in the snow and I get to be a little kids again playing with them. At 6’6”, I make a pretty darn impressive snow angel, let me tell you! And my baby girl, Chloe, has been asking to make a snowman for so long, I’m about to flood the front yard and try my hand at making a mud man just to make her happy!
On the TV front, I love to film snow! There are few things more breathtaking than the snow covered mountains here in East Kentucky. I remember a few years ago, we had a couple cardinals eating out of a bird feeder behind our house during a heavy snow. The red of their feathers blazed against the blaring white that surrounded them. I don’t do much birdwatching, but this was so amazing that I had to take a few minutes and just watch how beautiful it was. Of course, my camera’s were at work, so I couldn’t capture it! But it was a nice little moment just for me. I was hoping to grab some snow footage this season to share with you all, but alas, the only snow we’ve had here in Hyden was barely a skiff.
Growing up, I remember we would have a pretty significant snow every year or snow, and all of the adults would say things like “This is nothing like we used to have!” This was usually followed by a long story of walking up hills and out of hollers to catch a school bus, barefoot and without a winter coat. Then, the wolves would come and chase you up the other side of the hill, where the mountain lions den was and you had wrestle it before you could climb down and run to catch the bus. Looking back, there may be a little hyperbole in these stories. But the one constant was that there were HUGE snows. I kind of wish we could get a snow like that, at least every once in a while.
I remember my mom used to make snow cream for my sister and I when we had even a decent snow when I was small. I’ve made it for my bunch a few times, but I can never get it as good as Mom used to make. Like most of my adventures in the kitchen, it’s a pale comparison to Rhonda. But my sister Rachel and I would love to sit in front of the TV with a big bowl of chocolate snow cream and watch cartoons when we were little. Most snow days, I would stay with my grandmother. She would always fix me scrambled eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast. She had a back yard that was perfect for making snow men, and I can remember making several of them over the years. That’s one reason I love making snowmen with my kids; it’s a little reminder of my Mimi!
But this year, however, there have been no snowmen, no so angels and no snow cream. It was 70˚ yesterday in the middle of February. I went outside in shorts and a tank top to get some stuff out of my truck and was perfectly comfortable. (The neighbors might not have enjoyed the view, however!) My son Tripp and I haven’t had a snowball fight. Chloe still hasn’t gotten to use her carrots and sunglasses for her snowman. Oh well, maybe next year!
So what about you? What are your memories of big snows here in Our Mountains? How did you spend your snow days growing up? Share your stories on our website or over at Facebook. If you have any cool snow pics, send ‘em our way. We’d love to see them! And as always, thanks for supporting Our Mountains!