Winter Wonderland

I was out in the snow yesterday and it got me to thinking about a few notable snows when I was a kid. Since my birthday is in mid-January it wasn't unusual for it to snow on or around it when I was a kid. It really only happened a few times but to this day my parents still say, "It always snows on Alan's birthday." But I still have fond memories of being out of school several times on birthday.

When I turned eleven we had a big snow storm in Nashville. It got down to nine below zero and we had to postpone my birthday party. My cousin Johnny got snowed in with us for a few days and we watched the Star Wars trilogy on VHS several times. It was great.

Another big snow we had was in either 1986 or 1987. I stayed at my Grandparent's house with my Grandmother and it snowed about five inches. The great thing about their house that it was on a pretty steep hill. I had taken my sled with me so I was excited. The first few runs were fine as I stayed down in the yard. Then I got the bright idea to take the driveway down. I got up to speed and hit the street but couldn't stop. I skipped across the across the street neighbor's ditch and wound up on their front porch. I lay there for a few minutes before I finally got up and limped back up the hill. I decided to stay in the rest of the day and read comic books.

The worst snow we had was in 1994. The people who lived here at the time will never forget the Ice Storm of 1994. Power went out all over the south for extended periods of time. Just about everyone I knew was without power except for us and we took in several people. My cousins and my friend Kelly came and stayed with us for close to a week. It was great having so many people around the house. We played games and watched football and drank lots of hot chocolate. I also remember this being the time I grew to really love Jimmy Buffett. I listened to Songs You Know By Heart on repeat during that storm. It kept me warm and a little sane. That was a great time.

There were several other notable snows in my youth but those are the ones that really stick out in my mind. Kids now will remember this snow when they get older. The good times and memories from childhood are the ones that help shape us in the future. I hope they enjoy it.