SNOW!!!

Teddy: It snowed yesterday! Spaulding: Not the little try-to-catch-snowflakes-on-the-tip of-your-muzzle snow... Teddy: We aren't like people. We can't catch them on our tongues, because our tongues are sewn into our mouths, so we catch them on our nose to try to turn our noses white! Spaulding: Well, actually, Axlerod does have his tongue on the outside! Teddy: Yes, but he's a bassett hound, so his tongue is touching the ground underneath his large muzzle! Spaulding: "It's true. It's true!" Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Teddy: What we're trying to say is that last week we had snow too, but it didn't stick to the ground, so we could only have fun as it came down! Spaulding: ....but YESTERDAY's Snow.... Teddy: Yesterday's snow was high enough to do anything you want to do in snow.... Spaulding: ...except fall through and get stuck deep in it! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Teddy: We all enjoyed last year's snow! Spaulding: We all got out our special magical can't-get-wet-or-cold snowsuits on... Teddy: Lady made them all out of the same magical material that she made our swimsuits from... Spaulding: She made them all last year, and since Valentine didn't join our family until Valentine's Day, Lady made her one too! Teddy: Valentine did get to play in snow last year, and we have the picture of the snow bear, snow dog and snow bunny in front of the igloo to prove it! Spaulding: That's what we did in the snow last year--made snow sculptures and ... Teddy: ...AND fell back into the snow to make snow angels by doing jumping jacks lying down! Spaulding: Welllll, not exactly snow angels all the time. Axlerod, Lady and Dee have their big floppy ears and all their paws are in the front, so theirs looked more like snow moths with beary, beary big antennae! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Teddy: And Valentine's ears stick up and has all her paws in the front too, so hers looked like a snow butterfly with beary, beary, beary BIG bottom wings and beary cute little top wings! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Spaulding: And Ding, you and I can wiggle our ears in the snow, so they look like Teddy Bear angels, instead of angels that look like peoples! Teddy: Do all real angels look like people? ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Both look up at Mommy and listen intently as she answers:::::::::::::::::::::::: Spaulding: Some times Mommy uses words we don't know well, but she says that angels are different species from animals and peoples. Teddy: The best she can s'plain "species" is that all animals with gills are in the species called "fish." All animals that live on land and have six legs are in the species called "insects." Spaulding: She started saying that all warm blooded animals were call mammels, but then Teddy Bears break that rule by having no blood! Teddy: It sounds com-plick-kate-ted, but we did understand that angels aren't animals or peoples, but they must look close enough to people that their appearance didn't need to be s'plained when they appeared to peoples in the Bible... Spaulding: ...but then she got into the angels described in Revelation... Teddy: ...the last book in the Bible.... Spaulding: ...and they seemed to have several faces, one like a lion, one like a calf, one like a man and one like an eagle.... Teddy: ...but they are called "beast", so they might not be angels... Spaulding: And they had a whole lot of eyes, and it's all so beary confusing! (Note from Mommy: Read Revelation 4 for the reference. I don't claim to understand it fully, or even close to fully, but it was seen by John, so it really looked metaphorically like that.) Teddy: Anyway, we will play and let Mommy figure out the tough things to figure out! Spaulding: We still like angels! Teddy: No matter what they look like they all love God, so gotta be good creatures! Spaulding: And fun to make in the snow! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Teddy: BUT, living in the city, not close to any hills not crowded with traffic, we never knew last year about anything but making things in the snow! Spaulding: This year, now knowing all of our beary buddies we've met online, we were invited over to Babybear's house when the snow came to play in the snow. Teddy: Before we left, Mommy gave us a lid to the pasta boiling pot, after she took off the top handle. Spaulding: I didn't know how that would help us make snow bears, but I didn't want to hurt Mommy's feelings so we thanked her and left in our helioplaneship boxcar all bundled up in our magical snow suits! Teddy: Mommy had a knowing smile on her face, as if she knew we didn't know why she gave us the lid, but knew we would enjoy it! Spaulding: Wow! You should see how Babybear and his family plays in the snow! It's just so, so, so....soooo.... Both: COOL!!!!! Teddy: Since we had our Thanksgiving late and had put on that beary big parade two days ago, we were beary tired yesterday! Spaulding: Mommy says that something in turkey makes every body beary tired too, plus we worked beary hard for Thanksgiving! Teddy: By the time we got to Babybear's house, beary buddies from all over the world were already playing in the snow! Spaulding: I'm not sure if it was the little snowflakes hitting our face on the drive over, or the brisk winter air, but we weren't tired when we got there, that's for sure! Teddy: I think it's what we saw! Spaulding: There were bears sliding down a beary big mountain in Babybear's neighborhood!!!!! Teddy: It was the mostest amazing thing I've ever seen!!! Spaulding: Any of us have ever seen! ::::::::::::Both have eyes wide open and nodding their heads in agreement::::::::::: Teddy: We've slipped in snow before, but never thought to slip on purpose for long ways!!!! Spaulding: AND, at the bottom of the mountain was a huge lake frozen over, where other bears were running up to, and then intentionally jumping on to slide for as long as they could! (Since this was an early snowstorm for this area, and it was in the 50s two weeks early, Mommy needs to mention some things now. 1.) The "mountain" was a pile of snow dumped there as a plow went by. 2.) The "lake" was a puddle in the gutter that froze over slightly. It was perfect for the weight of Teddy Bears, but if any child going by had seen it and decided to try it out, it would have broken under the pressure of one little booted foot. Please keep in mind the size of Teddy Bears to keep their descriptions of things in perspective. If you are little, most things are "beary big!" HoHoHo) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Teddy and Spaulding were quietly watching Mommy as she typed before they said anything. Once she stopped typing, they knew they could go back to describing their day::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Spaulding: Dee and Ding were the first to react to what we saw! Teddy: We were just so shocked we didn't realize that we were all sitting still in our hovering helioplaneship boxcar still! Spaulding: It was beary funny watching the two little ones trying to climb the mountain! Teddy: They didn't seem to think it was funny though! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Spaulding: They'd climb up a few steps and then slip and fall back down! Teddy: Amy was waiting for Ding though so came flying over in her personal flying chair! Spaulding: She told us to dig out heal into the snow for traction to get up the mountain... Teddy: ...or, easier still, use our helioplaneship boxcar! Spaulding: We watched several other bears trying to climb the mountain too, but they had already enjoyed the trip down! Teddy: So, we invited them all into our magical vehicle, and ended up letting that be the way up for beary buddies for the rest of the day! Spaulding: Bears were swooshing down the mountains in so many ways! Teddy: Some went on their bellies. Others sat on their furry tails. Spaulding: Some were using boxes, like our helioplaneship boxcar! Teddy: A couple used Christmas decorations--Teddy Bear size sleds that used to hang on a wall and had "Seasons Greetings," "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas" written on them! Spaulding: AND SOME, some used pot lids with the handles taken off! Teddy: Mommy knew! She knew how most kids enjoy the snow besides making things in it!!! Spaulding: When we asked her why she never told us about these things before, she reminded us of where we lived and the lack of safe sledding places! Teddy: I thought that was beary nice... Spaulding: ...and beary smart... Teddy: ...of her! Spaulding: Since there are seven of us, we made a rule that at least one had to go down in the helioplaneship boxcar, so we could give rides back up! Teddy: With the amount of bears, we ended up pulling a train load of sleds, boxes, and furried bottom bears back up the mountain each trip to get beary buddies back up! Spaulding: Our snow suits kept us warm, except for our ears and noses! Teddy: Mommy says part of the whole experience is to get cold noses and ears while sledding! Spaulding: You can smell the snow better with a cold nose! Teddy: And eskimo kissing is a fun way to warm your nose back up! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Spaulding: By the end of the day, Ding and Amy had discovered how to slide her chair clear across the lake! Teddy: Dee, Holly, Brownie, Elfis, Kwalla, and the rest of their beary small members of their family, plus, Tiny Bear and Brownie Bear, caboose and her family... Spaulding: Good to see them too! It's been a while! Teddy: Scotland, Angus, Kwoolas and some of the smallest of the Need-to-Be-Adopted Bears from the basement had all worked together to make a tiny little igloo at the foot of the mountain! Spaulding: Every single one of them fit in it together, but when the rest of us were invited to visit, we had to go one at a time. Teddy: I had to lean over to get in, but I fit, and Valentine's ears got cold rubbing along the top of the entrance, but she fit better then I did! Spaulding: I felt like Luke Skywalker visiting Yoda! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Teddy: The big stuffies, like Rumples and Mawson had to shimmy on their backs to get in, and even then, once in they couldn't sit up! Spaulding: It certainly taught us how talented and able even the littlest stuffy can be! Teddy: It was fun to see Proffessor Sigmund Furred and Axlerod step away from the roaring bonfire they made for beary buddy, who needed to warm up, and take a few slides down the mountain and over the lake! Spaulding: Axlerod had sled before, back when he was just a pup and Mommy was much shorter! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Teddy: He tried to tell us about the S-spear-a-mint he and the Proffessor did with snow that day. Spaulding: He said that snow has the same magical abilities as pixie dust and shimmering confetti, but I didn't understand what magical abilities he was talking about! Teddy: Something about making diamonds in the air when you throw some up into the air, but when it lands, it instantly turms back to its original substance! Spaulding: Wow! Does that mean we can be rich for the little time when it glitters in the sun? Teddy: Yup! Lots and lots of real diamonds floating down, but when it lands they all disappear! Spaulding: Cool! Do people know this? Teddy: Only beary young people or those who never outgrew their memories of being young! Spaulding: Does Mommy know? :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Both look back at Mommy as she nods her head with a smile reserved for secret knowledge the young keep:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: All: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Teddy: Axlerod and Proffessor Furred learned something from another S-spear-a-mint that day. They call it "The Tiredness Factor." Spaulding: Yeah, but they had to compare notes earlier today to make sure it did work right! Teddy: Before or after their naps?! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Spaulding: That S-spear-a-mint I did understand! Teddy: They thee-or-eyezed that fresh air and snow wakes beary buddies up, no matter how tired you are! Spaulding: BUT, the moment you go back into your warm house the magical wake up air stops working and you become tireder then before you went out! Teddy: When we were out playing, it was as if we could play in the snow forever and ever! Spaulding: I'm glad we have Mommy and Daddy or we'd really hate having to leave even more! Teddy: Yeah, missing them makes going home fun! Spaulding: BUT, we did leave and did come back into this nice warm, keeps-your-nose warm, house, and poof!!!! Teddy: It was definitely nappy time! The Tiredness Factor! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Spaulding: I'm glad Axlerod could freeze time! Teddy: Mommy and Daddy need us beary much, but don't know we're gone as long as we are because of Axlerod's abilities! Spaulding: After all these years, Axlerod can even freeze time while he's asleep! Teddy: Beary, beary good, since we slept at least a whole day since we were out in all that fun! Spaulding: Mommy has a little of that magic too! Teddy: She is helping us catch up with our Teddy Bear Journal, even though it seems to be much later in the month then it is! Both: Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Spaulding: But, we have caught up quite a bit today. Teddy: Sooooooooo, until next time...