Cold in Florida
The weather has been rough this January by Florida standards. Not rough like in Winnepeg, Manitoba or Litchfield, Maine, but rough enough to potentially kill plants. At 31° Fahrenheit, the Beamans have had to cover their tender plants with tarps. Cheesecloth is too flimsy to prevent Jack Frost from curling and blackening the leaves of tender hibiscus, coleus, and poinsettia. Heavy covers work best. Here is a Before and After photo on our patio.
During our more than 50-year residency in Florida, it’s only snowed once–that time in 1987. Our children were kids then and used flattened cardboard boxes to slide gleefully down our hilly, corner lot.
Our Ski Adventures
Later in their teens, these same kids frolicked with us on a ski adventure in Snowshoe, W.V.
Later, we went with friends to Tahoe in Nevada, where snowflakes fluttered like confetti, floating like in a snow globe as we skied.
Our last ski trip was mostly a disaster. Silver Mountain, Idaho, is typically a lovely place to ski, but the January we went the snowy slopes hid sheets of ice underneath. Riding up to the top of the mountain in 20º temps, the wind felt fierce: Imagine a frosty giant violently shaking our gondola like an untethered baby carriage. After the briefest of runs, I chose to hang out in the lodge by a roaring fire, sipping hot chocolate. I had more respect for my tailbone than to risk exercising in ski gear that time, but I did capture a lovely view of the lodge at night, après Christmas season.
Ted’s Wild Ski Adventure
Of course, ski adventures can go awry in other ways as Teddy Bear Ted discovered in his own foray onto the slopes.
These still shots are from Jacqui Lawson’s animated videos, which I can’t reproduce here, but if you are interested in a cute one-minute tale accompanied by the music of “Roses from the South,” let me know in Comments and I’ll email the link to you by week’s end.
Snaps of Winter Adventures from The New Yorker
Shakespeare, a poet for all seasons, teases out life lessons through metaphors of winter winds and freezing skies, the stanzas below from As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII
The poet may be saying that Winter winds, as harsh as they may be, are not as unkind as man’s ingratitude. And though the weather is freezing, its bite is not as harsh as the ungratefulness of human beings, which may mask itself behind a friendly, but duplicitous demeanor.
If you find other meanings from the two stanzas, let us know in Comments.
Melissa Kirsch, a contributor to The New Yorker expresses some of the perils in winter sports in her piece “Going Downhill” published February 25, 2023. Here are some takeaways I’ve discovered:
There are many reasons not to ski, and I’ve availed myself of most of them over the past two decades when asked why I gave up an activity I’d once loved. Cost was high on the list, followed by inconvenience, cold and risk to life and limb.
I’d forgotten how much fun it is to socialize while doing something active. You chat on the lift, then you get some alone time to think while you ski, and pick up the conversation again at the next meeting point. Socializing with breaks! And without phones!
And let us not forget nature, as I nearly did, so focused was I on not falling. Once I’d regained my form, I could take in the frosty pines, the limited winter palate of sky and snow. I was a city-dwelling cliché, but that didn’t diminish the wonder.
The confidence I felt at rediscovering a skill was intoxicating. What else could I return to that I’d given up? Perhaps I should take up the clarinet again. Would my fingers naturally remember how to play “Eye of the Tiger”? Unlikely! But being a beginner has its own benefits.
Kirsch continues: “What have you given up that you might return to? What long-dormant skill might you jostle awake?”
Job 38:22, King James Version
Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, . . ?
Movie still shot, 1946 – My mother pulling my sister and me on a sled with Sporty looking on
What winter sports have you enjoyed? Skiing, snow-shoeing, sledding, or ice skating?
As Melissa Kirsch suggests, aside from winter sports, what else could you return to that you have given up?
Good morning, Marian! I had no idea you skied! Sitting in a lodge with a cocoa and book is more my speed. I don’t do any winter sports. I ice-skated once–borrowed skates on a frozen pond across the street from our apartment. Our upstairs neighbor organized a skating party. 😊
The skiing photos are from long, long ago. Now I’ more content with leisurely hikes in the summer time.
Actually, I loved ice skating as a teen. An owner of a limestone quarry close to my childhood home had a house with a pond. When the ice was right, our whole neighborhood gathered to swirl around the edges. I have warm memories, but no photos of that.
As always, thanks, Merril!
You’re welcome, Marian. They sound warm memories. 😊
Yes, Marian, I remember those ice skating days in that quarry. I remember how the owner would sometimes build a warm fire for us to enjoy when the toes and fingers got cold. Do you remember “crack the whip”? We usually called ahead to see if he had checked the ice to see if it was solid enough for us young ones. Thanks for the memory.
I’m glad we can share memories here. One thing I remember about “crack the whip” is that I didn’t want to be the one at the end that got flung at top speed around in a big circle. Not me!
Thanks for checking in, Arlene! 😀
A Floridan skier! I’m very impressed too. One of my roommates in Spain was an avid, addicted skier and I’ll never forget when I got to accompany her and friends to a ski resort north of us in Spain, I think it was the Pyrenees mountains. I tried the bunny slope and went down it a couple times, and then decided to get toasty in the lodge, too. I knew I didn’t want to break anything while living in Spain. One other time in West Virginia we went with our church youth group and got to try cross-country skiing and did reasonably well. But these older bones are now just lucky and happy to be able to safely carry in wood for our woodstove in the basement.
It looks like you did a good job covering up your beautiful plants. I’ll never forget the first time we visited north Florida, in mid February, and picked ripe strawberries. I think azaleas were also blooming. We got happily sucked into the idea of moving there!
I must have read about your trip to a ski resort when I read your memoir about your year in Portugal. I tried the intermediate slope a time or two but very content to stay safely on the bunny slopes.
Yes, I too respect my brittle bones and wouldn’t venture to a ski resort any more–except to chat with friends and slurp some hot chocolate.
We don’t have strawberries here yet–probably March or April, but my plants survived. The ferns, very fragile, did take a beating, but they’ll survive too. Thanks, Melodie! 😀
Yay! Winter! Great fun seeing you and your family on the slopes. I have tried snowshoeing and cross country skiing and enjoyed both. My older brother used to hose down our slab at our old house in Chicago so that he could ice skate. 😄😄
Ice skating in the city–your brother was inventive and (probably) adventuresome too.
Thanks always, for reveling with me in the snow, L. Marie! 😀
HI Marian, lovely pictures of your family when your children where younger. I have only attempted to ski (snow) once. It was a catastrophe and I got concussed. I’ve never tried again. I was knocked over by a very tubby man who was also a beginner.
Oh, my goodness, of course you wouldn’t continue; a concussion is a terrible consequence of skiing. Once, I was run over by a snow-boarder and pushed into a pretzel-shape. I was much younger then, so not much damage. Thanks, Robbie! 😀
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We are so fortunate in Manitoba this year to have above zero temps in January! My winter sport is a 45 minute walk every day along a nearby lake. When the snow melts (as is now the case) and then freezes over again, walking can be treacherous, so I wear cleats on my boots. When I need groceries I take my two wheeled cart and walk to the nearby shopping centre, so grateful for the milder weather!
Love the picture of you and your sister on the sled! How quickly life changes and we become the responsible adults!
Elfrieda, several Canadians read my blog, but you came to mind right away, so I chose Winnepeg as my Manitoba coordinate. I admire you for walking 45-minutes daily. I don’t match you in “mileage,” though I try to keep active.
Here’s to safe grocery-shopping and wishes for more milder weather! 😀
You can call it “Winterpeg” instead of “Winnepeg” but it is actually called “Winnipeg” (named after Winnie the Poo)
Oops: Pooh not Poo
Thanks for all the info about your fair city. You encouraged me to check further about Winnipeg. Apparently your city is the cultural hub of the province with influence originally from the Cree Indians. I did not know the story about “Winnie the Pooh.” Amazing!
I appreciate your sharing all this, Elfrieda! 😀
Marian — Silver Mountain, Idaho, can be treacherous during the winter. We’ve been there (to watch) when we visit Coeur d’Alene. I would have made the same decision as you—go to the lodge, sit by the fire, and enjoy a mug of hot chocolate.
Funny thing, after our attempt on Silver Mountain, we were told that on the other side of the mountain (wherever that was) we would have found only snow with no ice conditions, very fine for the sport. Who knew? Thanks, Laurie! 😀
Marian, Did you receive my email?
Marcia, I have two email accounts, and I haven’t receive a message from you on either account. You can try sending it here: marianbeaman@comcast.net
Of course, I want to open it. 😀
I have never enjoyed winter sports, which is odd as I come from the Canadian prairies well known for tobogganing, hockey and curling. My idea of a winter sport is curled up by the fire with a good book. We had no hills big enough to ski down but it always looked dangerous to me. I love the picture of you, your sister and your mom.
To each his own, I say, Darlene. I am sure you’ve enjoy seeing new venues, like Thailand, recently. That counts for something. 😀
And I’m glad you noticed the ancient photo of Mom and sister Jan in the snow–one I cherish, of course.
Marian, you look like a seasoned pro. I only tried downhill once. Huge disaster. I enjoyed cross-country much more. I also figure skated Fall and winter in a tiny skirt. I guess the cold doesn’t bother me like now. It’s very damp where we are because we’re near a Great Lake. I’d prefer -20 on a still day away from the water!
A seasoned pro, I’m not, but I like the idea the suggested, Jenn.
Like you, I believe I’d like cross-country skiing: You get the exercise without the danger to life and limb.
I perked up when I read -20 away from the water. That may be a Celsius reading though. I may have reveled in cold weather as a kid–sledding down the hill and making a snow man, but these days I prefer temps above 50 F. 😀
I grew up in the Dakotas, so snow was a regular thing for us. Like most kids, I loved playing in the snow. The snow plow would work its way down our alley and pile up the snow into massive piles. We were like gophers, building elaborate tunnel systems and playing tag games for hours. Flinging snowballs at each other was also a favorite activity.
Dakota in the snow with energetic brothers (or neighbors) brought out your inventiveness. I’ve heard of building igloos but not tunnels from the snow. How ingenious!
Thanks for adding another winter sport to the mix, Pete. 😀
I have tried all the winter sports but don’t really enjoy any of them — except snow shoeing. I decided to sell my snow shoes when we left Virginia. So now I just walk in the winter to the nice warm rec center where I play pickleball and work out.
I do have a yen to take up the guitar again. It’s on my list to start lessons. Your post brought the awareness higher. Thanks.
I enjoyed sledding down the hill between our house and Grandma’s but I’ve never tried snowshoeing, which sounds way less dangerous than skiing. I admire your keeping active with pickleball and yoga–bicycling too. If we want to stay mobile, we have to keep at it, I say. To quote the famous Aunt Ruthie: “When you stop, you’re done!”
About the guitar: I’ll bet at least one grandchild would catch the musical bug too, especially if they watched you strummin’! 😀
I attempted to ski on a gentle slope when I was a kid. I was so afraid of falling, I sat on the skis to go down said gentle slope. I did enjoy ice skating, though. In Enosburg, a primitive skating rink and primitive skating hut were right next to the high school. Good times. I don’t think I would attempt to return to ice skating, as I am at high risk for breaking bones. I loved sledding, too. The best sledding ever was a logging road behind our house that was packed down by snowmobiles, creating a very slick downhill surface. Wheeeeeee!
Sledding and ice-skating are my favorites too. My husband, the intrepid pioneer, introduced me to skiing.
Thanks for the anecdotes here, Liz. I can picture you, the little girl sitting on skiis, probably looking fearful–ha! And I say “Wheeee” to the sledding on the slick logging road. Good times! 😀
I love the photo circa 1946…it’s so Pennsylvania. I have photos of my brother and me with our dog Lucky after a winter snowstorm. My mother wore a headscarf and boots much like the ones that your mother is wearing. Mother’s scarf was pale peach wool and her boots were ankle high with fake fur trim. Such a lady! We’re coming out of a gray and chilly January here in the Philly burbs. Our beloved Eagles tanked, the horrid Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl and we’ve endured 21 out of 31 days with no sunlight. Oh, to be a kid again sledding in the snow with all the world in front of you, high expectations and endless possibilities and your mother waiting for you when you got home.
You’ve created such a welcoming snapshot here, Susan. As I recall, my mother’s boots were slick black and high–no fur, of course.
If it’s any comfort, we’re done with January, and February holds fresh promise, perhaps a wee bit more sunlight and a novel to sink your teeth into. 😀
So fun to be reminded of ski adventures in my own youth. And yes, there were mishaps. Actually the first memory is a missed mishap. As teenagers, my friend and I rode the lift to the top of the run. But after a couple of minutes trying to navigate the ice clope, we took off our skiis and walked down.
The second memory was also from my teen years. Normally skiing on the lower slopes of Mt Hood, three of us decided to ski on a trail from Timerline Lodge down to our “home” slope. We got off trail and “lost” until the sun began to sink and the snow became more solid. We eventually ended up where we intended, much to my mother’s relief who was waiting ot pick us up.
The third event happened when my husband and I were learning to cross-country ski. I declined to go down a slope, but he went for it, falling and breaking his patella. This was before much cellphone coverage, so I had to ski out, drive to the nearest facility with a phone, call ski patrol, meet them back in the parking lot, and ride on the back of one of their snowmobiles to rescue my husband. I felt like a hero, but he declined to do any more skiing.
We are benefiting from your memories of snow adventures. I can picture the geography of the terrain you describe. Cliff’s parents built a house with an orchard in the 1960s. His mother intentionally designed the layout so she’d have a view of three mountains from her kitchen sink: Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens, I believe.
Thanks for sharing your stories, Linda. All three had happy endings, even the one with your husband’s mishap because you got to be the heroine. 😀
Sledding was our winter pastime on a sled my father made we had such fun… thank you for reviving the memories , Marian…snow is a distance away from us here but I do love seeing the all images… freshly laid snow is one of my favourite sights 🙂
Thailand is not a snowy clime, so I guess you are describing girlhood memories in England.
I too enjoy the childhood memory of freshly laid snow and also snow flakes falling from the sky, forecasting no school the next day. Thanks for all this, Carol! 😀
You guessed correctly, Marian we still had school no days off for snow.. I remember teacher drying our clothes on the radiators so they were warm and dry for our walk home..
I have a vague notion of the clothes drying you describe. I remember ducts spewing out hot air after we sledded down the hill at Grandma’s house. Mittens and knitted caps billowed on top of the heat, drying for the next go ’round. Thanks for the follow here, Carol!
A pleasure, Marian I love how each comment revives a long forgotten memory on some posts..by the way I was an ice skater ..skiing never appealed to me 🙂
Thanks for the follow-up. I’m so glad the comments revive old memories. I LOVED ice-skating too. One can fall, but usually not too far–hahaha!
These winter photos and scenes seem so foreign to me! I tried skying once as a teenager. I didn’t like it and preferred to hang out along the side lines or in the lodge. My parents – who funded this one-week trip to Andorra, including the suit – were not so keen about my lack of skying attempts! I’d like to try it again, but I am worried I’d break something! And I don’t like the cold.
Knowing how adventurous you’ve become, I’m surprised you didn’t take to skiing as a teenager.
I wouldn’t try skiing again either because my bones are probably more brittle than yours–ha! I hope February is kind to you this year–Maya doing well, no van problems, and even milder temps, Liesbet! 😀
Not a winter sport person. I went ice skating when I was a teenager but never again after that. I am smiling about: “Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly.” My high school sophomore year English teacher made us memorize that, for future use I suppose. At the time I didn’t get its meaning.
I’m glad you picked up on the excerpt from As You Like It. I agree, much of Shakespeare sounds like gibberish. . . until later!
Thanks, Ally Bean. 😀
I’m sitting right next to you by the fire holding a hot chocolate Marian! That is my type of activity and I LOVE that Christmas photo of the trees. Beautiful. I skied briefly in my late 20’s, but I have a fear of heights and I almost had a meltdown on the ski lift. It is not for me. P.S. You and Cliff look magnificent in your snow parkas! Experts on the slope! 🙂
Cliff was an intermediate flier; I was bunny slope. Neither of us would be classified as expert. I’d would never try the “Widow-maker!”
Funny you should mention that ski lift. I didn’t mind the heights at all. What concerned me was getting my skiis at the right angle to exit the lift chair and not fall flat on my face. I see your posting and hope to get to it before long. (On a wee vacation to visit a friend, so I’ll read all about MILK before long.) Thanks, Melanie! 😀
A fun post Marian. with lots of nostalgia. I used to like to skate, and I’m afraid my one ski experience had me landing into a tree. That was enough for me, lol. 🙂
Your comment reminded me of the actress Natasha Richardson who hit her head during a ski accident in Quebec. She declined treatment, and so internal bleeding was undetected. She died, of course, leaving her family (the Redgraves) and husband Liam Neeson bereft. You probably know all this, but that’s where my mind went with your comment. Thanks, Debby! 😀
Wow Marian. And yes, I do remember that time well. How awful! <3
I was always at the end of crack the whip. Bend the knees, speed, speed, speed, pigtails flying.
Jean
I remember that. . . and I remember you as the wild-wild-wild sister. Ha ha!
I live in Ottawa, Canada, so you are singing my song. I love winter – the cold air on my cheeks re-invigorates like nothing else. It makes me feel alive! Heat and humidity just saps my energy. I am the opposite of most people, perhaps?
We just returned from a week of skiing in your country – Killington, VT. The snow was great, and we had a great time, although it was cloudier than we would have liked.
Oh, Arlene! You have a wonderful habitat. . . for YOU! Stay in Ottawa. Don’t come to Florida except November-March. You’d roast in this climate–ha ha!
I’m glad you found great skiing in Killington, VT. I assume you didn’t stay on the bunny slopes. Your comment is spot on; thanks for sharing! 😀
Hi Marian – thanks for sharing these great winter shots. You look very sporty in your ski gear! I love that picture of your mom pulling you and your sister on the sled. It reminds me of some my own old family photos. Is that a Flexible Flyer?
Yes, the sled is a Flexible Flyer, the only sled brand I recognize from my childhood.
The sportiness in ski gear is from years ago. These days I’m more cautious. Thanks for commenting again, Barbara! 😀
Brrrrr. Your poor tropical plants. I hope they survived! I feel like the plants during winter. I shrivel and curl up. I am NOT a winter sportsperson. My guy is a fantastic skier (and skied black diamonds at Squaw/Paradise slopes at Tahoe). When we were “engaged” he took me skiing and I nearly killed myself. Then I almost killed him. 🙂 Have not tried since, so I salute you. Cuuuute photos of your family. My CA grandsons are on ski teams and the middle one (13) is a Jr National free ski champion. Not from MY genes. 🙂
Good to hear from you, Pam.
I’m not a winter-sport person any more. The photos which fit the snow/ski theme are from ages ago. Thanks for sharing your family history with skiing. Impressive!
About my plants. Okay, they survived but are looking worse for the wear, especially my fine fern from Grandma Fannie’s stock. I bring it in and out when the temps go low and it’s probably in shock from the unseemly transitions. That, and over- or under-watering. I’m counting on the spores to transplant into a new fern. 😀
I love how we love our plants. I touch the leaves of my indoor plants and talk sweet nothings to them. I think it helps….???
Of course it helps–both of you. Carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange–hahaha! 😀
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