Here in New England, we have some winters when we are buried in snow, and then there are others when we escape with very little. The kid in me prefers the snowy winters. I still love to wake up and be greeted by a landscape of frosted trees and drifts of sparkling white.

When I was a kid, we shoveled our own snow and then were delighted to roam the neighborhood in search of other walks to shovel. We knew there would probably be a few dollars to be earned – and that was all the encouragement we needed! Kids don’t seem to do that anymore, at least not in our neck of the woods. Over the years, Sir Beads has done the lion’s share of shoveling here. He still does – even though I have tried in vain to convince him to sign up for a plowing service.

After breakfast, Sir Beads was getting ready to go out and shovel when the doorbell rang. We could see the pompom of a knit hat through the window but had no idea who it could be. We opened the door to find a girl of 14 yrs., or so, with a snow shovel over her shoulder. She smiled brightly and asked enthusiastically if she might shovel our driveway. I winked at Sir Beads and he immediately understood that I was “saying” – how can we refuse this very industrious young lady?

She was a hard worker. The snow was heavy but she was undaunted. Every so often, she wisely took little breaks to rest and assess her progress. Midway through, she asked for a snowbrush to do the car! It was a treat to see a kid with such a wonderful work ethic.

When the job was finished, we rewarded her handsomely. After thanking us graciously, she turned and skipped down the walk, suddenly raising both arms – shovel and all – high into the air in a motion that meant: YESSSSS!

At that point, I’m not sure who was more excited – our “Snow Angel” or us! 🙂

Hugs,