All over the world right now - IT IS SNOWING!!
In some areas of the United States - there have been record snowfalls this year.
We have not had even one snowflake here at my house - not even one.
It is highly likely that we will go through this entire winter and not see one flake of snow.
But ...
It is still nippy outside.
Most days it is downright COLD.
On Monday, February 18th - President's Day - it was in the 60's - very sunny and yet 60 degrees is still chilly in my book. I was so chilled that I wore a long pair of pants with a long sleeved shirt to match. When I was in my house, I kept a blanket thrown across my lap to keep the chill away.
At about 1:00 in the afternoon, I went to get in my car to go pick up my son from his friends' house.
Alexis - who was in the front yard playing with my niece - came running up to my car window - running in her bare feet, by the way - running towards me in her short sleeved shirt and cropped to the knees capri pants - running with the breeze blowing through her loose hair. She stands on the driveway ... looks up at me with those dark brown eyes and she says ...
"Can we go swimming today?"
I am in my van, with my sweater buttoned to my chin and the heat cranked up on high to take the chill off in my car and I say, "Wwhaat?" (*blink - blink*)
More excited now, honestly believing this is a reasonable and possible request, she asks again, "Please ... can we go swimming today?"
I shake my head in astonishment, "Alexis - it is FEBRUARY!"
She, with the Texas sun shining on her face and with no clue that FEBRUARY means that it is still WINTER, says, "So, can we? I'm so hot and look - the sun's out?" she points up to the Texas sky.
I say, "Uh - No."
"Maybe when you get back," she tries to reason with me.
I say, "I don't think so," putting exaggerated emphasis on all the syllables in these words.
"Maybe when it's Spring?" she has such a hopeful look on her face.
"Yes," I say - and drive away; leaving her and my niece playing barefooted on the driveway... on a sunny ... February day.
On the upside ... Lucky for me she doesn't really know when SPRING is and ... the way our weather goes here in Texas - it will either definitely be warm enough for her to go swimming when Spring actually arrives - or ... we could have an ICE STORM or the first freak snow of the decade. I will just cross that bridge when Sring gets here. For now ... SHE IS NOT GOING SWIMMING ON THIS PRESIDENTS' DAY - I don't care how sunny it is outside - Sorry Hon.
Now ... run get mommy a blanket.