Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, March 20
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Public Safety
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Donate
    • Subscribe
    • More
      • Construction
      • Outdoors
      • Politics
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»Outdoors»Snow days are slower days
    Outdoors

    Snow days are slower days

    By Amber D. StonerFebruary 25, 2023Updated:February 25, 20233 Mins Read

    The snow is a thick fluffy wooly blanket draped across our city. During the recent two-wave mega-snowstorm, my family worked and schooled from home, as did many families. Snowstorms are best enjoyed when we can just be home. I gazed out the window at the falling crystals: big chunky flakes, blowing snow that formed waves of drifts in the yard. It was an entrancing, mesmerizing snowfall as flakes twisted, tossed, and tumbled toward earth, accumulating and accumulating. And accumulating.

    These snow days moved slower, quieter, and snugglier than the usual weekday. We shared hot chocolate and homemade chili. We delighted in the red cardinals sitting among the snow-covered tree branches.

    We shoveled in shifts. At least four times over three days, we took work and school breaks to get outside for the fresh air. We shoveled while it still snowed. We shoveled without haste, without overdoing it. We used our shoulder, arm, and hand muscles, to push, lift and toss (ever higher) scoop after scoop of powdery snow. We built heat in our bodies, shedding layers and feeling the cold, crisp air on our faces. It was aliveness, without franticness. When we tired, we retreated inside. We were grateful for the assist from an anonymous neighbor who took care of the ridge of snow between the sidewalk and the road with his snowblower.

    We bundled up for walks each day: snowpants, boots, hats, the big mittens. I let a snowflake land on my mitten and looked at the crystal shape of this sparkly sky flower. A gentle breath and it melted away. Have you ever looked at a single snowflake? Or caught flakes on your tongue? The fragile flakes pelt your face and melt immediately, tiny brief taps of cold on cheeks and tongues.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn-McReavy

    We tromped through the snow around our block. We walked slowly. We shuffled and slid on the ice when necessary. We had nowhere to get to, no deadline or destination. The walk itself was the goal, the journey, the delight.

    We saw tracks: footprints, hoof prints, paw prints. In this deep snow, deer drag their hooves, leaving a ridge across the snow on their way to their next step. We saw dog paw prints beside boot tracks and Yaktrax. We noticed the different sizes of boots and shoes, the different tread patterns. We saw rabbit tracks and their paths leading under our bushes. Squirrel tracks streaking across the yard to a tree trunk.

    We marveled at the marks the many wild beings leave behind in the snow. All of us are saying with each step: We are here. We are here. We are here.

    In memory of Della Theis (February 1937-December 2022), my eighth grade English teacher.

    Photos by Amber D. Stoner, unless otherwise indicated: Snow, snow, more snow, bunny prints in the snow, snow angel (photo by Toni Knorr).

    Nature nearby is a monthly column by Eden Prairie resident Amber D. Stoner. 

    Be Informed
    Sign up for the FREE email newsletter from EPLN
    Subscribe

    Comments

    Comments aren’t allowed on our site, but we do offer several ways to provide feedback, and have your voice heard. If you believe the story has an error, or would like to get in touch with the author, please contact us. If you would like to respond directly to this article, we welcome and encourage Letters To the Editor. You can find details on how to submit a letter on our contact page.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleMilestone night for Eagles’ Molly Lenz in regular season finale at Edina
    Next Article Sports update: EP loses in overtime to Chan

    More to READ

    2 Mins Read

    It’s been that kind of winter

    March 19, 2023
    16 Mins Read

    Summer camp options in and around Eden Prairie

    March 15, 2023
    3 Mins Read

    EP family solves mystery of missing wrench in annual treasure hunt

    March 13, 2023
    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    Eagles capture third place at state with victory over Stillwater

    March 19, 2023

    Council to consider new flooring for gym

    March 19, 2023

    It’s been that kind of winter

    March 19, 2023

    Walz signs universal free school meals into law

    March 17, 2023

    Starkey’s latest hearing technology system, Genesis AI, set to redefine the future of hearing aids

    March 17, 2023
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2023
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

     

    Loading Comments...