A Wintertime Story

I left Washington yesterday and flew out to spend a little more than a week with my parents, who moved to The Middle of Nowhere, AZ my sophomore year of college. And it's a mountainous middle of nowhere, so the three to four inches of snow we got this morning isn't all that unusual, but it did give us an excuse to spend a few hours alternately playing in it and shoveling the enormous driveway.

Christmas is just going to be the three of us this year - the first time in four years we haven't spent at least part of the holiday with my brother, my sister-in-law and my niece - and it's way too quiet without the pitter-patter of little (and not-so-little) feet, so I uploaded photos from this morning onto Snapfish, made up a story to go with them, and sent it all off to absent family members.

My rhyme scheme is far from perfect, but I really had fun putting the story together, using family jokes and tailoring it to include some of my niece's favorite things about coming to visit my parents. (And being able to fire things like this off to family and make them seem a little closer is one of the many reasons I love the internet.) Take a look, and maybe you'll be inspired to create "A Wintertime Story" of your own!

'Twas the week before Christmas and all across the Mogollon Rim,




snow was falling in a flurry; things were looking mighty grim.




When Grampy looked out his window, this is what he saw...




What a mess, what a muddle!




Would Grandma's garden ever thaw?




The front porch, it was silent, even the juncos had flown away!




And still the snow kept falling...




...falling, falling all the day.




So Aunt Jessi broke out the shovels,




and all the Pinneos pushed and shoved.




They pushed and shoved, and shoved and pushed, and as they worked - so hard! - the snow began to slow...to stop...and soon the skies were clear above.




With wood stacked in the shed, enough for several days or more,




Aunt Jessi said, "Let's play! I've no more patience for this chore."




And play she did indeed, making an angel in the snow.




Grandma joined in the fun, as they watched the scudding clouds blow.




Grampy took a break and watched them both at play.
"No more snow," he said, "Come inside and let's all call it a day!"




But Grandma and Aunt Jessi had just one more thing in store.
They patted and packed the snow, and packed and patted some more.




They added some finishing touches to their snowy wintertime plan, until...




...ta-da! For Miss E. and her parents, an Arizona snowman!




He's a very friendly sort, as his smile makes quite clear.




And we're sending him today to bring you some early Christmas cheer!