Am I the Only One Who Misses Winter?

I realize I'm probably the odd man out here, but I'm really disappointed in our so-called "winter" this year.

Let me clarify a bit, it's not that I love bitterly cold winds and temperatures in the teens, but I do like one or two good snows each year. I don't want a blizzard by any stretch of the imagination, all I'm asking for is a good 6-8". Why? Because I'm like a child when it comes to the snow. Honestly, I may get more excited than my kids do when snowflakes start to fall. I start thinking about all the fun things I can do in the snow, building a snowman, snowball fights, and of course, SLEDDING! Heck, I don't even mind going out and shoveling the driveway.

My love of a good snow dates back to my days growing up when my brother, sister, cousins, and I would all head to my grandparents house on Mesker Park Drive a mile or so north of Diamond Avenue and go sledding. Their property featured an epic hill off the driveway that was easily a hundred feet long and sat at what felt like a 45-degree angle. While we probably wouldn't have registered on a speedometer, it felt like you were flying down this beast. We'd create homemade ramps out of snow about halfway down that usually resulted in the sled coming out from under us before we hit the ground or we'd hit it just off-center, sending us sideways with our face dragging through the snow for another 10-15 feet before friction took over and ground us to a halt.

Then there were the trees. At the base of this perceived black diamond run sat a tree line and wire fence that seperated my grandparents property from their neighbors. We would have contests to see who could ride the longest before bailing out to avoid what I assume would have been serious bodily injury had we actually smacked into one. Remember, we were kids therefore fearless and obviously not that bright.

Unfortunately, both grandparents have passed away over the years and the house has been sold, but at least I have the memories which may be the reason I love a good snow. A qualified professional could make a strong case that the snow represents a carefree time in my life where my only concern was keeping myself entertained. Or perhaps I just figured that out on my own and saved myself hundreds of dollars in therapy bills.