The Playless Playground

The Playless Playground

Two days ago I twirled on green grass, arms wide open, eyes closed tight, and head flung back to catch the sunny rays that warmed my face. Today I have a blanket wrapped around my waist, fuzzy fingerless gloves keeping my hands cozy, and the world’s softest socks on my feet.

This is winter in Wisconsin. It’s a love/hate relationship. It’s finicky, but it’s always beautiful. I have been in full on denial mode the last few days. They told us snow, and lots of it, was on the way. Then they told us most of it would miss us. Like any other storm in Wisconsin, we were playing the wait and see game.

Outside my window the wind howls and blows around the well over fifteen inches of snow that has fallen in the last fifteen hours. The snow continues to fall, alternating between big snow-globe snowflakes and small wet flakes that blow and freeze against my windows.

Birds come in spurts to nibble on the pile of food I left for them, fighting over the little bits that have fallen to the ground. The sound of snowplows getting stuck and snowblowers getting jammed has quieted for a little while, until it’s time to clear off the next several inches of fresh snow.

If I was Alexander, I might say that this is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But I’m a Wisconsin girl, and I say that it’s been a terrific, wonderful, really great, very good day! I started my day by, of course, taking some pictures of the snow. I took my time getting ready, feeling snug and cozy in my warm house.

Later in the morning my dad called and asked if I wanted to ride to town with him to bring my brother and his friends coffee at work. Of course! I threw my camera in my waterproof bag, put on my tall boots, and was ready for adventure.

Dad’s Jeep had no problem making it in my snowy driveway and I giggled as I discovered just how much snow we had gotten. Thankful my boots were as tall as they are, I clunked them together to get the big chunks of snow off before swinging my legs into the Jeep.

The roads were pretty terrible, but nothing a Jeep can’t handle. We four-wheeled our way to the coffee shop, made our delivery, enjoyed our own caffeine fix, and headed back south. I put my camera in my lap just in case we saw something extra beautiful on the way home.

We drove past the road to my house and went on to the metropolis of Downsville to see what looked pretty there. I took a few pictures out the window as we drove around my small hometown.

When we passed the schoolyard I instantly noticed the bright blue swing sets. They had been freshly painted just this past summer and I knew that one day they would make a pretty picture. Was today the day? I snapped a shot on the fly before we pulled into my parent’s drive.

I went in and said “Hi” to my mom and took a quick glance at the pictures I had taken on the way to my parent’s house. I loved the one of the blue swing set, but the fence completely ruined the shot. Oh bother!

On our way home I asked dad to stop so I could get out and take a better shot. He pulled up near the fence opening and I jumped out into the snow. I did something every Wisconsinite has done time and again when the snow is deep. Imagine a funny little run/hop/bounce through the snow. It’s like those horrible high-knees we had to do in gym class when I was a kid, only with resistance!

Two thoughts were running through my mind as I worked my way down the fence line toward the swings. Don’t drop your camera, and I really hope dad isn’t taking pictures, or worse, a video, of how ridiculous I look!

I couldn’t have been more pleased with the view I had. I got several photos of the brightly contrasting swing set and snow. Heavy snow-laden trees made the perfect background, and since school was cancelled there were no tracks in the snow or buttprints in the swings to ruin my shot.

I high-kneed it back to the Jeep and fell in, winded. “Whew, that was my exercise for the day!” I panted as I buckled up for the drive home. Dad just laughed as I caught my breath and turned my attention to more snowy out the window pictures.

And that, my friends, is how I captured The Playless Playground. (Click to Tweet!)

Until next time,

Josie

P. S. (Good news, I didn’t drop my camera! As for the pictures/video I guess I’ll just have to wait and see if Dad got any. He likes to save embarrassing things for the perfect occasion!)