palmettowest: November 2006

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Neighbors

Yesterday afternoon the kids and I bundled up in ridiculously inappropriate winter clothes and headed outside to play in the snow. Maddie was wearing a pair of Steitler's swishy basketball pants (because they seemed to be water - proof) , 2 long sleeved shirts, a pink rain jacket, a scarf and rain boots. Steitler was sporting an identical pair of pants, 2 shirts, Maddie's blue rain jacket, my scarf and rain boots. I ducked my head outside to check and see if any neighbors were out. Thankful that our first impression was not going to be the Clampett's Vacation in Washington, I herded the kids outside where both proceeded to immediately fall on top of each other, as it is very hard to walk with snow up to your knees. There was plenty of snow to make a dozen snowmen, however, our hands were cold so we made a smaller version of a snowman's head. Improvising, we gave him nickel eyes, a baby peeled carrot nose, a smile made out of pennies and celery arms. One of Steitler's old winter hats and Maddie's too-small pink mittens completed the snowman. Just as the kids were finishing up throwing snowballs at me, our next door neighbor walks out of his garage. Introductions are made and he says, "Can you believe this weather?"
"So this is not normal?" I ask.
"Oh no. We usually get a few snows each winter with a couple inches but that is about it." he said. I was delighted because Ben had said this was unusual but what does he know, he has not lived here in the winter and he knows how I feel about icy cold weather. I thought Ben was sugar -coating the weather for my benefit.
"In fact," he continued, " I think it was probably the late 80's when I saw this much snow fall. We were in South Carolina, I think it was January and they had a freak snowstorm that dumped like a foot of snow on the ground."
"I was there! I used to live in SC and I was 9 years old and we did not have school for almost 2 weeks! It was the most snow we had ever seen." I exclaimed.
I would have busted out a cartwheel if my legs had not been frozen. He said his dad had been stationed in Charleston, SC back then. I was so excited that someone knew where SC was and had been there! He, his wife and their 4 kids moved here from Las Vegas several years ago.
Maddie and Steitler joined their kids building snow forts until their hands were so cold that they hurt.
I am not sure which was more exciting: finding out that our neighbors seem pleasant and have children to play with in the neighborhood, or hearing the mention of SC in a random conversation.