Before & After the Blizzard of ’13 and a Life’s Lesson…

My husband Barry and I live in the very patriotic New England town of Bristol, RI.

Here, we take the 4th of July very seriously.  Leading up to the 4th of July, there are weeks’ worth of outdoor concerts, a wonderful carnival and a 4th of July Ball.  There’s the Miss and Little Miss Fourth of July Pageant.  There are contests and fundraisers and events and even special license plates to show our patriotism.

Everyone in town decks their homes in red, white & blue, generally starting on Flag Day,

And then there’s the Bristol Annual 4th of July Parade… established in 1785, the oldest continuous celebration of its kind in the United States.  Parade Day brings 50,000+ people to town each 4th of July to celebrate this very special day.

Barry and I happen to live on the Parade Route, among the most coveted front row seats in town!  If you can get into our little town early enough in the morning (like 4 am early!), there’s a seat under our maple tree on our front yard.  This means that we decorate; like really, really decorate for the Parade!

One of our most cherished 4th of July icons is Uncle Sam, a gift from Barry’s cousin and his wife.  He stands about 4-feet tall and weighs… well, a lot.  We watched him emerge from a large chunk of wood through the talented hands of a wood carver with an electric chainsaw.

We love Uncle Sam so much that we keep him out all-year-round.  This is what he looked like last Friday morning, before Blizzard Nemo arrived…

(Isn’t he handsome?)

This is what Uncle Sam looks like now…

Yes, he may look like an odd-shaped snowman with a dairy-whip hat; but to me, our Uncle Sam means that Summer will be rolling around before we wipe the snowflakes from our eyes.

So enjoy today.  Enjoy the snow.  Enjoy deep footprints and sounds of kids sledding.  Enjoy warm boots and fluffy hats and fireplaces roaring.  Enjoy green boughs with white tips.

Enjoy every moment, even the icy ones.

Because Time has a way of marching on, and I can almost hear those fife and drums now…