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18 inches of powder is perfect for nothing if not for sweet little red fox, darling deer, and epic sledding hills.

These little darlings were eating carrots and apples from the hand of a retired professor who, apparently, visits them frequently while their normal grassy grub is buried. Mental note: Bring treats. Make friends. It pretty much took all of the self-control I could muster not to sweep over, hug them, and take them home. That and Ted wouldn’t let me. But, for the record, I was close enough. I could have.

2 sleds = best $40 ever spent. Totally worth countless years of entertainment ahead. The green sled is mine all mine. The black sled is Ted’s, but it can also seat two, which is kind of awesome for the thrills of the wild hills I’m still too chicken to tackle alone but don’t want to miss out on! The snow was well past my knees and Mendon Ponds park has at least seven excellent hills to explore as well as tons of trails for cross country skiing and snowmobiling. Some of the sledding hills were really long, curvy and fast like a water slide, and a few were short but steep and mighty! Two had secret ramps built into the snow for an extra tummy tickle when you find yourself suddenly airborne. Which is exactly why you always hold onto your sled with both hands so that you don’t catch two feet of air and come down without a sled beneath your hind quarters. But the resulting bruises do give you major bragging rights. Just FYI. Also, it is wise to tuck and roll out of your sled before you convene with the patch of trees.

The picture doesn’t show it, but there’s about six great hills just beyond that ledge. We sled for about two hours against the backdrop of pretty pines while the snow continued to fall all afternoon, and we walked away red-faced, wind-chapped, runny-nosed, purple-bruised, and completely soaked with frozen hair, twinkling eyes, and big smiles on our faces.

Come March, sale snow pants will be hot on my radar.