The Power of Snow

I started to write this last night and did not finish. Now things have, naturally, changed and I am re-writing this entry. If I wait another day (I won't) who know what could happen.

Winter is hanging on. Thursday night it began to snow a bit. I had enough snow on the sidewalk that it made sense to me to push it off before going to bed. When the snow is fluffy it's an easy job and only took a couple minutes with the big broom to finish. The area was getting a fresh white washing and that was a welcome sight. The next day (Friday) the snow continued to fall leaving us with a few inches of fresh high quality packing snow. Kids everywhere probably were making super snowmen or having good snowball fights. For me it was another chance to clear the sidewalk and driveway which again did not take that long. More important to me though is the fact that the snow changes things. Even on an overcast day like today was the snow makes things better. It brightens the world, covers the slush mounds, and adds a muffed quality to what traffic you hear that makes those sounds of the town less noticeable and henceless annoying.

Snow also does something else, at least at night. Snow makes the world feel more comfortable. Even if it is cold and windy the world is more comfortable. But this night when the wind was almost still and the temperature was not that much below freezing and I was comfortably warm in my wool coat walking home from The Ark just before midnight the world felt more pleasant yet. Sure I had just left a fantastic concert by Bill Kirchen but his shows will always bring a smile to a person's face. The snowbound world of subdued yet encompassing light, soft crunches as cars now and then slowly went by, and the crunch and slide of my own steps through the snow on the sidewalks combine to make the 10 minute walk home a real pleassure. Most times it's just a walk.

Today (Saturday) the sun burst forth and the snow began to melt.Sidewalks that had been well taken care of the day before are now devoid of snow as the sun bakes the cement. Plows have rumbled through all the side streets mounding up piles of dirty snow leaving dirty colored slush filled streets behind. Pools of slush and water are forming at every street intersection challenging you to not get your socks soaked as you try to avoid them. But the snow is still fresh and no doubt kids are having a blast. Could I get somewhere to do a long walk in the woods I would. This is the kind of winter day that makes winter especially glorious. We've had a good number of these this year and are actually above average which is a wonderful change from the last couple of winter seasons.