First Snow

I love snow. How it falls, the crunch underfoot, the silence that surrounds you in the middle of a snowstorm. I realize I'm probably in the minority in regards to this type of percipitation. Many complain about the efforts it takes to get rid of it, pushing off the roads, driving in it. Also there are some places on earth who receive more than their fair share of the white fluffy stuff (think Buffalo, NY). But snow has some wonderful qualities. First, it blankets the ugliness of the landscape and turns it into a wonderland, clean, pure. It makes the trees, bushes, landscape take on a dreamy quality and softens the edges of hardscapes. When you look at the trees with snow upon their branches, you see how structurally beautiful they are in form. The snow almost acts as vanilla icing on cookie trees. The birds' colors stand out more, especially the cardinals. I love to watch them at the bird feeder when the snow is coming down. I guess I like the snow falling the most. When you walk outside, all sound is muffled. I feel and hear the crunch of the snow underfoot which makes me feel very connected to where I walking. Memories of sledding down hills in New England as a child come back as I walk along the sidewalk. Memories which include coming home to a warm house with hot cocoa waiting after taking off wet, drippy mittens. And what about snowmen? I tried this morning to make a snowball grow into the first ball of the snowman but this snow is not the right consistency. Oh well, I know there will be a snowman snow coming sometime this winter.  This is the first snow of the season, the Christmas season which makes it a very special one. I've been waiting a long time to have snow again after living in the deep South. I'm enjoying it and no one who is a "bah humbug" about snow is going to stop my enjoyment. I just hope I feel the same way in March when we get the Spring snows. We'll see.