Monday, March 23, 2015

#161 Snow? You Have Got To Be Kidding

According to the weather this morning, my friends and family are waking up to a snowy morning back in Wisconsin.  Fortunately, my dear friend, Deb, came through with a wonderful outlook on the white fluffy stuff.  It will help put things in perspective...I hope. Spring is here in just a whiter color than you had planned.


Snow is precipitation in the form of flakes of crystalline water ice that falls from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. (from Wikipedia)

I awoke to fresh snow on the ground today.  I must admit, my first thought was not a pleasant one ( I could use one of Mary’s terms:   #$@%).  Then, I began to think about it from a child’s eyes.  Their thoughts and plans for this day would probably be much different than mine.  I decided I should think about it a bit more and come up with a list of the pros and cons of snow, perhaps this will help me escape the winter doldrums.  This list is of course from my eyes, it may change if coming from the eyes of a 5 year old, thus is truly a “matter of perspective”.  

Pros of snow:  
There is a beauty that brings solitude when you look out the window at freshly fallen and untracked snow.  It does give me a sense of peace.  This white blanket definitely is better than the brown we view after the Fall leaves have dropped and left a bare landscape.  Sunshine on fresh snow is spectacular and is another beauty to see.  Often the snow will sparkle and create a brightness that is hard to describe.  It is on those types of days that I really do enjoy the snow and will attempt to strap on my snowshoes and get outside to experience the snow firsthand.  If I lived near mountains, I would enjoy a good day of skiing as well.  Although our snow came after Christmas this year, I must admit that I do enjoy having snow for the holiday.  There is a magic when Christmas lights twinkle against a blanket of white snow.   If I were 5, my list would include activities such as sledding, making snowmen, having snowball fights etc…  (Maybe I need to think more like a 5 year old when it comes to snow-that list has some fun built into it).

Cons of snow:
Fresh snow usually requires shoveling and/or snowplowing.  Shoveling is hard on the back and knees.  Using a snowblower comes with its own inherent problems.  We do have a snowblower that I have been “trained” to use but I must admit I would rather shovel.  Why?  There is a learning curve to the snowblower and it seems inevitably I am blowing across what I already cleaned or am getting snow blowing back in my face.  I guess I am supposed to be more aware of the wind when using a snowblower.  I am thinking a good sailor might make a good snowblower.  The worst part of snow is probably the road conditions it creates.  Our first snow is always the worst as we try to “relearn” how to drive with slippery conditions.  Some people do better at this than others, beware of the ones that don’t “relearn”!  Another aspect I can do without is the dirty stuff in the streets after snow begins to melt.  That dirty snow makes the cars dirty, gets our feet dirty, and if a dog is in the family is a real problem for them.  Last, melted snow freezes and causes slippery walks and roads.  I am sure you get the picture!

It truly is a “matter of perspective"

Still living in the “wintery climate"
Deb

Thanks for reading # 161 of 7777.

No comments:

Post a Comment