[Critique Group 1] Leonard's comments on Martia's June sub

[tuchyner5 at aol.com]

Delightfulstory.  






 




The title isreally good. 






 




The main thrust ofthe piece is how 2 well seasoned adults get to experience snow as though theywere children seeing it for the first time.  






 




The story alsotells a lot about the lives of the protagonists as they relate to theexperience of snow.   






 




Colorado is also described relevant to thestory. Well done.  






 




I enjoyed theexperience.






 





 
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Wed, Jun 19, 2019 9:57 am
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SeeingSnow for the First Time





MarciaJ. Wick, The Write Sisters





June2019





WordCount:  564





 





 





Ablizzard in late spring is not that unusual where we live - 6,000 feet abovesea level in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. This year, winter had beenmostly moderate with sunshine and light snowfall, until March when springroared in like a lion. Doplar radar watchers warned that a “cyclone bomb” washeaded our way from the west coast where it had caused dangerous flooding.Schools, government offices, and employers announced closures the night beforethe anticipated storm, even though skies were blue and temperatures were stillin the 50s.





 





Forecastingthe weather in Coloradois no simple feat. “If you don’t like the weather, just wait 10 minutes and itwill change,” locals are fond of saying. Early prediction of the unusualcyclone bomb, however, proved accurate. In the morning, we were slammed withhigh winds, freezing rain, drifting snow, and white-out conditions.





 





InApril, when weather prognosticators warned of another spring blizzard, the cityhunkered down again.  Cancellations and early dismissals were called earlyin the morning although the sun was shining, temperatures were in the 60s, andthe roads were clear. I hurried to my father’s house, throwing a change ofclothes at the last minute into my back pack, unsure if I’d get stranded oncethere and be forced to spend the night.





 





Halfwaythrough the day, the ominous forecast still waited in the wings as the audiencegrew restless for its appearance.  





I love these 2 lines.





Settlingopposite my dad at the table, me with my lunch and him with his breakfast, Heflipped the pages of the newspaper, his favorite preoccupation, and happensupon the blizzard warning.





 





“Rainand snow, temperatures dropping into the 20s,” he glanced out the window,perplexed at the sunny scene.





 





At2:00, still under sunny skies, Dad’s caregiver departed to pick up her sisterwho was being released early from work to “beat the storm.”  I thoughtperhaps this time the weather gurus might have gotten it wrong.  SettlingDad into his easy chair for some late afternoon television, I glanced out theliving room window as the clouds burst. Fat raindrops transformed into fluffysnowflakes mid-flight, turning the springtime scene into an avalanche ofwinter. 





 





“Lookat that! What is that?” my Dad asked.





 





“It’ssnowing after all,” I said, amazed myself at the sudden turn in seasons.





 





Dadgaped at the falling flakes, as if seeing snow for the first time in his94-year-long life. No stranger to snow, my father skied the powder slopes of Colorado for six decades, climbed more than 30 mountainsabove 14,000 feet where snow remained year round, camped in winter snow caves,and climbed Pikes Peak in a blizzard on NewYear’s Eve to help shoot off fireworks from the summit. Still, my slow-movingfather jumped out of his chair like a four-year-old boy seeing snow for thefirst time.





 





“Lookat it, look at it! It’s everywhere, all around,” he twisted his bald head backand forth as I fought to catch his flailing arms into his coat sleeves.Coatless myself, I chased Dad out the door onto the deck where he continued tostare at the scene. As if the clouds were having a pillow fight, the sky wasflooded with white balls of cotton.





 





Gigglinglike a four-year-old girl, I stuck out my tongue as if tasting snow for thefirst time, too.





 





# ##





 





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