Winter Wonderland

Since the kids in Austria walk to school - there is no such thing as a snow day.  I walk 2 miles everyday just getting my son to school and back home.  Every morning and afternoon it is a parade of kids and parents going back and forth, walking, on bike, on scooters, on the trams... but very few by car.  I know this photo looks dark, but he does have reflective tape all across the back of his backpack and swinging, blinking red lights.  Plus - he walks with an adult.  Maybe I should add some hot dots to his jacket sleeves though.

If it snows at night, by mid-morning just about every sidewalk is cleared.  The gym even clears the running track so people can continue to jog.  The parks are cleared too.  Even though there is snow, it is very easy to walk in the city.

Yesterday we had nice, fresh snow.  So after school, bad mother that I am - I said that homework could wait for early evening and we would go sledding.  This is the crazy hill we went to - it has 2 hills that come together at the bottom - the kids sled in both directions, walk up the middles, etc.  There is always at least one crash every time we go to this hill.  My son's sled has a steering "wheel".  Being from the country and growing up with "boat" sleds myself, I thought this was a bit foo-foo-ish, but turns out, it is pretty important when you are in the city on a busy sledding hill.

I love when kids play outdoors and their cheeks get all apple red!

I love how beautiful the snow makes everything look.  All sparkly!  Oh - and that homework - it got finished - I think it took a little bit longer than usual, but it still got done and we got to enjoy the fresh snow.  Snow tends to melt fast here so you have to take advantage of the best snow conditions when you have them!

The mittens I made a few years ago for my son - I am the one who wears them all time time - he likes waterproof mittens.  I made them in Briggs Little yarn in bright orange because we are so often in Canada during hunting season.  They are child size but fit me almost perfectly - I am going to make another pair and add just 1 more row of pattern going toward the cuff.  
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Coming up this week on my blog - tomorrow - a recipe for Judy's fun weekly project using the weekly ingredient - spinach, plus what I did with the rest of the cabbage from the cabbage project!  And Friday - Judy's link-up for "On the Needles".  I finished my sons knee socks.  Yeah!  So, I thought I best post this post before the time slips away and then I never post it!