Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

As we mall walked, my two friends and I reminisced about 2013 when snow arrived before Thanksgiving.  We were also patting ourselves on our backs that we escaped the last months of 2014 without any measurable amount of the fluffy, white stuff. As if we had anything to do with it.

That was yesterday. Today we struggled to make it to the mall, as Winter arrived with a windy, snowy vengeance.

I woke to the sound of snowplows clearing our driveway.  Rolled over and tried to ignore the significance.  But the noise continued. And when I rose, I knew my day would be re-arranged.  Lunch plans were scratched.   So was working out with my trainer.  It wasn’t the amount of snow that cowed us; it was probably the unexpectedness of it.

Still C and S and I managed to avoid black ice, stalled vehicles, and fender benders to meet and walk. We arrived dressed like Russian peasants and changed from boots to gym shoes, stored our outerwear in a locker, and began to thaw as we walked the perimeter of Orchards Mall.

For the record, we started mall walking on February 18 last year. Since then we’ve been fairly consistent, except for when someone is out of town. So even if it was an ill wind that dumped winter on us, we should be proud of our determination and accomplishment. Take that, Old Man Winter.