Snow?

It wasn't an intentional deception. You just need to understand that I live in a part of the country where a dozen snow flakes falling out of the sky will cause the local TV stations to break out the special weather alert team. And even though those intrepid meteorologists use words like "maybe" and "slight probability" and "conditions could be right", that is enough to send people rushing to the store where the milk case and bread shelves are empty within minutes. Just in case. Because once every few years, there really might be several inches on the ground. So now you know. When I see snow, it is a BIG deal.

While in the mountains this weekend for the loveliest knitting retreat, we arrived at the building where the knitters gathered each morning and I saw snow. I dropped my knitting gear on a table, grabbed my phone and headed out the back door to make a picture. Then I posted it on Instagram with a one word caption. "Snow!"

I went back in to find my comfy seat by the fireplace and thought not much more about it. But much later when I checked my phone (cell reception was somewhere between slim and none) I saw messages and comments like, "Are you snowed in?" "Are the roads okay for driving home?" "Oh, how perfect for knitting!" "Isn't this great?" "Lucky you...you've got snow!"

And I realized people had misunderstood. I posted the part of the photo that was the most fun for me. THIS was the whole photograph...

The resort was testing their snow making equipment. This is all the snow there was. And it is entirely possible this is all the snow I'll see this winter. So, please forgive my excitement.

Warning:  When you see a magazine picture, or a post on social media that makes you a little envious of the kitchen/furniture/house/dinner you're admiring, keep this in mind. You are only seeing the part someone wants you to see. Who knows what the whole setting looks like? That gorgeous kitchen may be neat because the junky stuff is behind the camera. The burned rolls are not in the picture. The green grass may have been cropped out of the snow photo. Just remember that. Even if, like me, it wasn't an intentional attempt to distort reality, that is how photo editing works. Have fun admiring, but keep your expectations real.

The knitting weekend was wonderful. There really wasn't snow on the ground but it was cold enough for rocking chairs by the fire. The quiet whirr of a spinning wheel was our background music. One man who was helping out with the retreat popped in and stood still for a minute. He said "Wow. I can feel the peace in this room." And that's exactly how a retreat should feel.