If my 5th grader hadn’t accidentally left his iPad at home this morning, I never would have met Lydia, Ron and their new snow-friend on the corner of Roslyn Road and Exmoor Avenue in Barrington. On my way to drop that iPad off at school, I slammed on the brakes when I saw the happy couple smiling as they placed frosty’s final buttons.
I hopped out of the car with my camera in hand and said hello with a handshake. When my questions became more specific, Lydia paused to better understand my goals. “I have this website and I like to take pictures and talk to people,” I said. “I can’t help it. I’m a journalist.” (😬) The truth is that I’ve always had an instinct to search for the moral of the story, the fortune in the cookie and the secret to the sauce.
Lydia’s secret? Well, she says she popped out of bed bright and early this morning to make this snowman for students to enjoy on their way to and from school. For families out walking their dogs in the cold. And, really, just for fun. One last wintery hurrah before we spring forward during daylight savings time this Sunday.
“I haven’t done this since I was five years old, I think,” Ron says with a wink. And Lydia replied, ‘Wow, are you kidding me? I do it every time it snows. This is good packing snow and it only took about a half an hour. It makes me happy because anybody that drives by will see it and they’ll smile. It brings back memories of my own kids. It brings me happiness and it makes you laugh.”
At school pickup this afternoon, I took a quick drive by and discovered they’d built a second snowman to keep the first guy company, which makes sense since their own family is growing. Lydia is about to become a grandmother. Her daughter is expecting a baby boy this spring. I’d say, with Ron by her side, she’s on her way to being the coolest G-ma on the block.
As for what Lydia & Ron had for breakfast? I didn’t ask, but I’ll have what they’re having! Nice to meet you two lovebirds. Thanks for making me smile.
Wonderful!!!