Living the Winter Olympics

I’m generally a big fan of the Olympics, but this year I just can’t get into it.

I could blame it on the way the athletes dress. One look at those overgrown snow suits and I have flashbacks of the days of getting three little ones bundled up to play in the snow. Forty-five minutes of searching for boots, wrapping scarves, guiding fingers into gloves and not forty-five seconds out the door, one of them had to pee.

More than likely, it’s the weather. The weather here in Ohio—not in Vancouver. We’d kill for sunshine and temps in the 40’s. After ten days of snowfall totaling more than we normally get in a year, our yard looks like an organ donor center for snowmen. It’s not easy to get excited about games played in the snow. On purpose, no less.

We have a steep driveway. A very steep driveway. That said, it’s difficult to view bobsledding as a sport when we’re forced to do it each day. And here in the Midwest, we’re neither trained nor equipped for such events. The first time my husband made it into the garage after only three attempts, I waved the flag and hummed the Star Spangled Banner. He’ll deny it, of course, but I swear his lip quivered as he brushed away the hint of a tear.

In years past, when our average February temperatures were 10+ degrees above freezing, I loved to watch the figure skating. But this year, when we’re lucky to see the thermometer rise above single digits, ice in any form is not the least bit entertaining. It reminds me too much of my trip out for milk and bread before the last storm. I must say though, I am rather proud of the triple axel I nailed in the grocery parking lot.

I’d heard a lot about curling. I considered giving it a try, but curling sounds so much like hurling and we’ve had enough of that with that nasty virus our grandkids passed on. Anyway, from what I’ve heard about the sport, I imagine one of the highlights would be the face of a mother holding her temper as she watches her son using a broom—something he’d never touch while living under her roof.

Now the snow is finally beginning to melt. We’re seeing patches of grass and dirt, making it look a bit more like Vancouver here in Ohio. I may give the games another shot. I swear though, if another storm heads our way, I’ll put my Olympic viewing on hold until the summer games when those young guys in Speedos make the scene.