What I Learned in A Snow Storm

 

Leslee the Grown-Up, does not and cannot bring herself to welcome the snow. The snow that greases the roads, rides in on shoes to make puddles on the hardwood floor, makes a big house seem like a prison cell, and keeps the sky dull pewter, that snow is not welcome. The adult practical Leslee, shudders at the mention of snowstorms and worries about things like enough milk, bread, and heat. 

Leslee the Poet, looks out at the day from a cozy spot beside the radiator. She sees, hemlock and pine trees in the yard festooned with white, she notices that the traffic lights have little hoods of snow as if the red, yellow and green lights are wearing lady Pilgrim caps. She wants to read about the “woods dark and deep” and forget she has promises to keep and miles to go before bedtime tonight.  

Leslee the Child, stands in the parking lot at Wegman’s catching snowflakes on her tongue even though it fogs up her glasses and Lucy van Pelt says that snow flakes aren’t ripe this time of year. Just watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special and you’ll see. This Leslee wants to get out the Christmas movies and make sugar cookies with all kinds of sprinkles on them. She wants to make hardtack candy, because evergreens look like candy with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar on them. She even would like to sled ride one more time. 

Leslee the combination of all three, sighs and says, “I guess there has to be snow, otherwise who would be so glad to see plain old grass again?” In boots, mittens and scarf, she steps out into a world transformed into a few vivid colors and a blanket of white.