Winter fun!

January 17, 2017 by shannonboen 4 Comments

 

Hello!

I’ve been away for a while busy with Winter fun!  I like when we hear.. “well, you ready to hibernate for the Winter?”  or also love to hear people say the weather is so nasty that I just want to stay home and cuddle up with a blanket and watch Dancing with the Stars or something!  There is so much to do!

As some of you know, I’m a groundskeeper at our local junior college and spend a lot of time in the Winter removing snow from parking lots, sidewalks and roadways.  Well, we have been busy this season!  It seems like we are getting way more snow this year than we have in the past 5 years or more.  Is it a bad thing?  Heck no!  Thief River Falls is the home of Arctic Cat snowmobiles and nothing sells snowmobiles (sno-cats) like lots of snow.  So its great for our economy and awesome for those that like to get out on the groomed trails and ride.  I will say that I’m getting tired of removing it 🙂

The last couple weeks have been miserably cold and most days windy.  When I say cold, I’m talking -25 with -45 wind chills!  That my friends is cold.  Now this week or for the next 10 days we are looking at highs in the mid 30’s!!!!!  I told a lady at work today that I was going to take out the Summer shorts! I was kidding but today its like 25 degrees and it feels marvelous!  So when it snows, gets cold or the wind blows.. what does a grandpa do?

I stay busy!  I have been coaching my son’s basketball team since they were in second grade.. now this group of young men are seniors!  So my wife Darla and I love to watch him and his team play.  As of right now they are 6-3 and are playing well.  We go to Grand Forks tonight to face a tough Red River team which will be a real test.  This Friday we pack up our bags and follow them out to the Iron Range..(Cloquet and Grand Rapids) for an overnight trip which should be a lot of fun for them and us parents.  We like to go to these other towns and find and old bar and grille and have a burger and beer before the game.  Nothing to wild, just fun to check out these old priceless little towns on our senior tour!  I’ll keep you posted on their progress throughout the rest of the season!

I also spend one or two nights a week officiating high school basketball.  This is really fun as well.. lots of people ask me “how can you do it with all the yelling”..  I honestly don’t hear it unless it’s the coach that is yelling.  My response to these people is this-I can stay home and sit on the couch and get yelled at by my wife (lol..just kidding hun) or I can go referee, get some excercise in, and get paid!  I love the game of basketball and this is the best seat in the house for a game!  So yeah, it’s still cold and crappy outside but I figure I can lay around plenty when I’m 6′ under!  Gotta keep moving!

On my days where I actually have nothing to do.. I love to spend time with my family. My Grandson Brevyn makes my life complete when I get to see him.  Yesterday I got to spend the day with him cause we were off for MLK day and it was a blast.  I finally got a chance to take him outside to play in the snow!  He is 18 months old and has never really played in the snow so this was something new for him.. he wasn’t real keen on the whole snow thing.. but liked it as long as I was holding him and he didn’t have to try to walk through it!  He is such a happy baby with so many expressions!  I’m posting a picture of him sitting up on his swing set yesterday.. doesn’t he look excited?  🙂  I love my family dearly.

We also bought some cross-country skis!  My wife and son Blake are rock stars at it.. me, well I’m working on it.  Its fun to get out of the house and do some of these activities!  

So if you feel yourself getting the Winter blues…  get out!!  There is something to do!! Until next time.. Take care, Shannon