How did you spend your snow day?

Six inches of snow was enough to shut down Lincoln, Nebraska today. All roads in, all roads out. Mace and I stayed home -- we could have run errands, but why? We watched a lot of PBS and stayed in pajamas all morning, but after lunch we got dressed to go outside and play.

Now, if you know me, you know two things: (1) I don't exercise or do anything that could be construed as exercise and (2) I'm not good in weather other than NICE. But there I am with a 3 year old who needs to run off all that snow day energy and every place I could sit is buried under snow/wet/cold. "Mace, let's build a snowman." But Mace isn't interested, he just wants to run and make footprints and roll around or throw snowballs at me.

I persevere. I get the shovel. I move snow, pack snow, massage snow, and repeat all that for an hour or so. I wanted a snowman at first, then I thought Mace would like Thomas the train, but I kept looking at my very tall, packed snow and I could see the Gnome. I could see his pointed hat, his large nose and his arms at his side. I figured it would be easier to make him what he is, than to try to make the blob into something it was not. I got a few tools from the kitchen and after two and a half hours, there he was, the Snow Gnome. (Mace wasn't impressed. "Let's knock him down and build a snowman.") But as far as I'm concerned (and I think Mace and I are very clear on this) the Snow Gnome stays until he melts.

Or loses his head.
LMF