Testing, testing, testing..........

January is always an interesting time for me. I love the cold as it allows me to ski with my family and play in the snow with my dogs. I like to watch our horses stand in a snowfall, allowing the flakes to accumulate on their backs. The trees in our woods are especially fun to watch as they change shape with their battle against the ice and the weight of the snow. Any way you look at it, winter is gorgeous.

Winter reminds me of spending time with my friends while growing up. We all had snowmobiles and would spend hours driving our "sleds" everywhere. We were even allowed to ride them to school with our parents' permission. I came to love that sound of the snowmobiles and the smell of the engines. It was especially fun when you had that special someone riding along.........

My friend had a huge pond behind her house. She lived on the edge of town and this would be a great gathering spot for all of our friends. Day or night, of course with a campfire, someone would be there on the ice. Most of the girls would just ice skate, with Dorothy Hamill in mind. (Of course, we had the haircuts!) The boys would take the far end of the pond and set up goals to accomodate their hockey games. We would spend hours and hours outside and I never remember getting cold.