Tell Us About . . . Snow: Snow Globe World

As I'm writing this, there isn't any snow on the ground in this area. We had snow just a couple days ago, but then the temperatures warmed up a bit, and we got some rain, and now it's just kind of grey and wet and bleak. For my part, I'd rather have snow in winter. Not blizzards, not super frigid temperatures, but my ideal winter weather is crisp with a regular refreshing of the snow to keep it white and clean. Give me frost and anywhere from a light dusting of snow to an inch or two. 

I love that magical, childlike feeling of catching snowflakes on my tongue, and just being awestruck at how amazing and beautiful snow is!

The very fact of snow is such an amazement. ~Roger Ebert

One of my favorite things about snow is the hush. When it's a powdery snow it has a whispery quality, and when there are ice crystals in the air, you can almost hear your breath hit the cold air when you exhale. It's not just our imaginations either! Meteorologists explain that snow is porous, and the six-sided crystal shape of snowflakes provide a lot of space that absorbs sound. So once there's an inch or two of snow, yes, it really is quieter out there! 

If you've ever wondered about the crunching sounds when you walk through snow, that is the friction as you compress those grains of snow against each other with your boots. Generally speaking, the colder the air is, the crunchier the snow will be.

And to be fair, the slushy sound when the snow is partially melted and making a grey slurry on the streets? I don't like that look or sound.

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I also love how snow can make the world look clean and fresh and sparkling. Ordinary streets and yards and parks become magical landscapes, and on a sunny winter day, the reflection of sunlight on an expanse of snow is so bright! Clean snow reflects almost all of the visible light, so that's why it's so bright white. Deep snow can absorb a lot of red light, so it sometimes appears bluish in color.

Honestly, my love of snow disappears when I have to drive on a treacherous road or in blizzard conditions, or if I'm worried about loved ones who are out in those conditions. I don't mind shovelling walks or clearing off my car for the most part, but I'm fortunate that I haven't often had to do the hardest parts of the shovelling jobs. 

I have good memories of the very deep snows we had while living in Maryland. We jokingly expected an ice storm or a big dump of snow in mid-February every year. It seemed like we got bitter cold and lots of snow on the weekend our teens were at Winter Retreat or immediately after the retreat. There were a couple of years we got so much snow that it took a couple days before plows got out to our road, and we were all on our own out there. It was up to the neighbors that had tractors to get through as best they could, and of course we all had to figure out how to clear our own driveways even once the plows had come by. We were always well stocked with food and with wood for our woodstove, so for the most part those days spent snowed in were fun adventures for our family. One year our son worked with a friend who had a snow clearing business, and during one of these storms that crew worked around the clock keeping the sidewalks and drives cleared at the hospital emergency entrances. That was hard work and gave us all an appreciation of all the people who do that kind of work - keeping roads, essential services, power lines, and all of that up and running during harsh weather conditions.

I have a lot of good memories associated with snow. I have a whole pile of childhood memories of playing in the snow and going sledding or tubing! There was one year when my brother and I tried to make an igloo in our backyard, but we were too young to have any idea what we were about and just managed to make a small cave in the heap of snow on our patio. We did spend many happy hours making the wagon wheel grids and playing Fox and Geese. And my dad would flood the backyard and make an ice rink in the winter so we could skate and play hockey. I always loved sledding and tubing, even though it was such hard work dragging the tube back up the hill for another go. The crazy carpet was our snow day vehicle of choice because it was so lightweight and easy to carry over to the sledding hills, or to throw in the back of a car. 

One winter snow sport I did not enjoy was skiing. I grew up in Calgary, and being so near the mountains, skiing was the thing for so many people. Just not for me. I tried it a couple of times as a teenager and didn't like it all. I have never tried cross country skiing, but I've often thought that would be a better fit for me. 

 These days I'm a bit too out of shape and arthritic to head outside for a snowball fight or to participate in winter sports. But as long as it's not too terribly cold, I love a winter walk and the way the night sky is frosty and brittle in winter, and I might even try to catch a few snowflakes on my tongue. 

Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people's legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world. ~Sarah Addison Allen

Some of this article is based on a recent Wednesday Quotes link-up: WQ - Walking In A Winter Wonderland.

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Tell Us About . . . is a monthly opportunity for bloggers to showcase their creativity. Each month one of the co-hosts will choose the word to focus on. On the second Thursday of every month we'll respond to the prompt "Tell Us About ---" which could be absolutely anything. And how we respond is also wide open. It could be a blog post with our opinions or reminiscences; a poem, photos, a short story or whatever takes your fancy―it could even be a mix of all these! This month's theme is "Snow".

This post is linked at Rosie Amber

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