A gorgeous day in mid-February.   It was winter-warm, around 32 degrees, very bright, so it was good to be outdoors.  The sun touched our faces like a mother's hand, soft and soothing.  The yard was a curving sheet of white ice.  The snow was packed down so hard and was completely frozen over, so you could walk on it without sinking down at all. 

These icy conditions made it extremely slippery for sledding, so we did not let the boys use the plastic sleds.  Instead, we all simply slid down on our backs.