Snow Dinosaur Invasion

When I was a little girl in Western New York, it snowed a lot more than it does now.

We had moved from a little apartment into a house with a big yard back when I was five years old.

It had been an extremely snowy winter that year. There was probably six feet of snow on the ground in the yard.

I was the kind of kid that couldn't get enough of playing in the snow. Mom used to have to yell at me to come in for lunch; peeling off wet snow-pants and soaked mittens, only to resume playing outside after a bowl of Chicken & Stars to warm me up.

I must have looked lonely (my older siblings were at school), as Mom dressed to come outside with me. She carried the shovel, which I thought was weird, but hey, she's the Mom.

She proceeded to tell me "We need to make a BIG pile of snow." I needed no encouragement - I was all for playing in the snow!

I hunted down the thickest drift in the yard and we started piling the snow together.
"We need to make this part a little thinner." She took the shovel and started to carve the pile. "Find me a stick" as she manipulated the snow. She smoothed and scraped, shaped and scored.

When she'd finished, there was a 8-10 foot reclining brontosaurus! I squealed in delight! I couldn't wait to find the kids down the street to show them what my mom had built! We spent the afternoon climbing and sliding down the creatures neck and tail.
We sure were sad when spring finally came and the dinosaur slowly melted. We laughed as it did, and called it a lizard from the Wizard of Oz "I'm melting!"

I often wish we had a camera way back then, but the memory is still so clear in my mind. I bring it up once in a while, so that she knows I remember and still to this day, 40+ years later, appreciate the effort! Thanks, Mom!