Let’s Talk with Karla Brandenburg
Snow Days
I live in the Midwest, up around Chicago. While I’m generally a warm weather person, I have to say I like the changing of the seasons. Without the bad, you can’t appreciate the good, right? We can’t have those perfect 75 degree summer days all the time. The 90 degree summer days with 100 percent humidity are balanced by the winter days where it’s 10 degrees with a foot of snow. Those are the days that make a sunny, 75 degree day perfect.
Right now, in the middle of winter, we are receiving the gift of snow. Snow, when it is falling, is one of the most beautiful things in the world to my way of thinking. It sneaks in silently, when you aren’t paying attention. It mutes everything, creating an atmosphere of peace. It covers the world with a blanket of white, unblemished. A blank canvas. There’s a joke about the first significant snowfall each year where people say “it’s like they’ve never seen snow before.” You know what? That’s true. I get out my camera every time to capture the magic, like I’ve never seen a snowstorm before. (I have lots of “snow” pictures.) I will say that for those years where we get lots of snow, it does get old. The driving in it part, especially. A reminder of the downside.
When I was a kid, I loved to go out in the fresh snow. Catch snowflakes on my tongue. Just “be.” There’s something so magical about a shower of flakes falling on and around you, each one a different shape than the next, ice crystals sparkling in the sunshine, or the moonglow. My friends and I would dig out snow forts, go ice skating or sledding or tobogganing, and have snowball fights. And when the cold seeps in and it’s time to come inside, I’d grab a cup of hot cocoa (maybe with a shot of Baileys these days) to warm up, wrap myself in a blanket, and grab a good book to perpetuate the magic.
Some things never change.
Do you get snow where you live? Are you a snow warrior or a snow wimp?
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Posted in Let's Talk, with Karla Brandenburg, zed: Former Authors • Tags: BLB Discussion, Karla Brandenburg, Let's Talk, Snow Days | 12 Comments
I grew up in Los Angeles; no snow. Moved to Florida. No snow. Now I live in the Colorado mountains. Yes snow. But I enjoy it, especially since I don’t have to drive to a job.
That’s when the snow is best, when you can sit inside and look at it from the warmth of your living room
I live in St. Petersburg, Florida and only see snow if I’m visiting my family in the Dayton/Cincinnati area. I also love to watch the falling snow. Definitely not a fan of driving in snow, so I’m a definite wimp.
The first time our Florida boys tried to make a snowman, they tackled the job like it was sand and we had to teach them to make a ball then roll it around to build up the body. They were so surprised that it was so cold. We did it all — snow angels, snow fort, and snow fight. Wonderful!
It’s so much fun to play in, especially when you’re a kid!
I love looking at snow, and love the way it silences things. But I’ve only participated in it rarely (back in Texas we had more ice than snow, and here in Florida we bundle up when it hits 60 — snow in south FL would probably mean end times were here!) It sure is purty on Christmas cards, though. 🙂
It definitely is purty – I have to say there is a point where “enough is enough,” and the weather here has certainly been showing us extremes recently!
I live in Florida where we have warm weather year round, except for rare dips into the forties. But I grew up in NJ and remember the beauty of ice dripping from tree branches and the wonder of falling snow. I’ll stick with the memories and enjoy the sunshine now.
Can’t blame you! When I wrote this, our snow storms were still in the “novelty” phase of the year. As pretty as it is and as much as I appreciate the beauty, too much of a good thing can be overwhelming! (especially when you have places to go)
Not much snow in coastal Georgia where I live, but I lived through many snowstorms the two-plus decades I lived in Maryland. I like being warm in the snow. That’s my first priority. Then I like to listen. The wind sounds different in the snow, as does the very air. The hush of snow is wondrously beautiful to me. I love making snowmen and sledding and back in the day was even known to snow ski a bit. I never thought of myself as a snow warrior. I liked to enjoy the snow, then I LOVED to enjoy watching the fire in the fireplace inside! Thanks for bringing back those happy memories!
It does give a cozy feeling, especially with those types of memories. Very eloquent, Maggie!
When I was a kid, I loved the snow as long as I didn’t have to shovel our driveways. After I learned to drive, my love for snow began to dim more each year. Now at 63 years of age, I love the snow as long as I can sit inside and watch it come down but otherwise I would send it back further and further north.
I certainly understand that sentiment!