This is completely off-topic but it’s what I want to write about and it is my blog …so ….. While I’ve been enjoying glorious 70 degree weather and sunshine here in Colorado, England has been getting hammered with snow. I’ve been getting daily updates from my sister who lives in Wantage, which is close to Oxford. Her two boys have had the last two days off school – the first snow days they’ve experienced and they’ve been having a blast.
We grew up in a small village called Dibden Purlieu – it’s about 25 minutes southwest of Southampton on the edge of the New Forest and the Solent water. I guess being in the south of England and by the coast, it’s very protected and the weather is very mild. 
I didn’t get any snow days but there was one day in 1967 when it did snow during the day – about eight inches – and we did get sent home in the early afternoon. Since I lived just across the street from the school it was an easy walk home where we built the one and only snowman of my childhood.
I’m the one with the blonde hair with my gabardine coat – think that was part of my school uniform. I would have been about 10 years-old. The little girl is my sister and the other girl, a friend and neighbor, Ruth Daniels. I lost touch with Ruth many, many years ago. On the other side of the snowman is my brother who now lives in South Africa where it’s a very rare occurrence to see even snowflakes. I’m guessing that snowman must have been at least five foot tall. And those buttons … those were coal because we had a coal fire in our living room. We are all wearing the standard issue “wellies” – they’re black because like Model T Fords, it was the only color available. Looks like we all had the same hairdresser too!