memories of the lake... part 2

Snowed In

The lake draws me winter as well as summer.  In the winter, the quieter is quieter... the calm is calmer.

Sometime in the 1980s, our family realized that Christmas at the lake would be quieter... calmer... more peaceful.  So, we would pack up our boxes of Christmas decorations and clothes for a week, bring our gifts ready to place under a tree here and head north. 

An hour and half later, we would unpack and commence Christmas vacation.  The tree varied year to year.  One year we brought a live tree with us and planted it on the farm after Christmas.  Other years, we bought one in town.  I think we even cut our own on another year.  The tree didn't matter and truly the decorations seemed less important when we were at the lake.

We would come to the lake to sleep...to rest... to read... to escape.  We would laugh outrageously and eat equally outrageously.  Someone, it seemed, was always in the kitchen concocting cookies... candies... buckeyes. 

Books, puzzles and games were our entertainment.  No tv or phone to connect us to the outside world.  An occasional video (we all have a distinct memory of laughing uproarously at Never Cry Wolf) bounded us.  Late night card games were what our memories are made of.

Some years, snow would come.... Other years would be a "brown Christmas".  We longed for snow.  Snow meant we could be "snowed in" and stay a day or two longer... and we would.  It matter not the amount of snow... all we needed was enough snow to be able to legitmately say were snowed in... and a couple inches or so.

We would savor our extra time... thankful for being snowed in.  We would enjoy the fire in the fireplace a little more... relaxing in the peace and joy that comes from not being able to go and do.  And... when it was time to leave, we were all a little more ready to face the outside world thanks to the extra time we had being snowed in.

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... in returning to the calm of the lake this week, I opted to be "snowed in".  Rather than drive home yesterday, I called my man and asked he and the man-cub to come up.  They arrived late yesterday afternoon. 

Today we are "rained in" and loving every minute of it.  I think when it is time to leave tonight, I will be more ready to face the outside world thanks to the extra time I had being snowed in at the lake in August.