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I am patiently waiting. Ok, so perhaps not so patiently, but I am waiting.
I want it to snow.
We have had our first “hard freeze” but no flakes yet and it is driving me crazy. Ever since I was a wee one living high up in the mountains of Colorado, the first snow fall was one of my favorite days of the year. Little white bits of fluffiness drifting slowly down to the half dead grass, covering it with a beautiful, sparkling blanket. I always step outside to let those lovely winter jewels fall on me, then watch them melt into little droplets.
If I am diligent about it, I will wait up late on a snowy night and step outside and listen. Have you ever stood in almost absolute quiet and listened to the snow hit the ground? It’s one of nature’s more beautiful sounds. One of peace, quiet and calm.
Other times at night, I turn on the porch light and watch the flakes come into view with the dark sky behind them. It almost looks like the stars gearing up to fly by in Star Wars. One day, I need to rig a little space ship and take a fun photo of it.
When I lived in other states, I missed the snow. Now, we did get some in Texas and in Missouri, though it seemed to be more ice than snow. Then I moved to Los Angeles, which has no real weather to speak of except a few rainstorms (some years a little more than others) that overwhelms the very dry ground and causes floods that would not occur from that little rain in any other area. (and don’t get me started on how 5 raindrops warrants a “Storm Watch!” on the local news.)
Winter time meant you added a scarf to your sleeveless ensemble and some wore the horrid footwear known as UGG boots (yes, I know Lori just bought those pink ones… they might be acceptable as the fun color helps negate the complete lack of beauty) and Santa flew in his sleigh among the palm trees and expensive German cars. I never got into the climate in LA.
Then I moved back to Colorado and now I get seasons. I get vibrant neon fall trees, spring flowers and the lovely sapphire skies of summer…and snow. Ok, not much where I live, but there is some. Fall is invigorating and winter is a crisp chill that reminds you how awesome it is to snuggle under thick blankets with a good book. It also lends itself to making snow people and watching Shadow bounce around like a crazy dog in the white powder.
Do you find anything magical about the first snow every year? Do you go make snow angels and throw snowballs? Does your dog act like snow is the best thing since a tennis ball?
48 Comments on “The first snow”
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I am deprived here in Toowoomba. We very rarely get snow and whenever we do I seem to miss it. Toowoomba is a great place in that we do have different seasons (and you can tell it) but we are a sub-tropical climate. We have had some strangely cool days in the last couple of weeks which is unusual since we are in spring and almost at summer.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 5:52 am.
It is good that you get seasons, even if the snow is a rare sighting. Stay warm on those cool days and enjoy the upcoming summer!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:48 am.
The first snow is pretty. I am looking forward to it not onlymomwear the boots but to see what Reggie does. We had no snow last year. He is going to be so amazed.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 7:21 am.
I can’t wait to see the updates on Reggie in the snow! He is already too cute for words – romping in the snow might push it over the top
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:49 am.
Oh snow, how do I miss you! Up until 8 years ago, I lived where we would get snow. Florida living does not allow for this. I love winter here because it is basically a glorified autumn to us northerners but I do miss having at least a little bit of snow. In years past, I lived in central Michigan, the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio and lastly the suburbs of Philadelphia. Philly, we got snow but it wasn’t on a regular basis. We were more likely to have ice than snow. Ohio, I remember getting dumped on because we were in the “snow belt” region. We would have snow mounds as tall as me at the street from where the plows had come through. Granted, all this snow meant that I had to help shovel the drive and walk too. BLAH! We did have fabulous fun playing in the snow back then. Snow forts, snowball fights, sledding at the metroparks. What is not to love.. oh yeah, the toe and finger numbing temps! Ok so I don’t miss that part of it.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 7:24 am.
You know, I am ok with the “bad” parts of snow. I mean, my arms turn into noodles from shoveling sometimes, but overall, I still enjoy it.
I’d send you a snowball if it would make it unmelted
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:54 am.
The first snow is magical! When it arrives right before Christmas is the best. We only get a couple of snowfalls so we love to see it come and stay for a day or two. After growing up in Wisconsin where it could snow by Halloween and stay until Easter – SW Ohio is great winter weather.
We have been known to have a few snowball fights with the neighbors.
Snowmen are a must.
Our Aussie LOVED the snow. She finally had the right weather for her double coat. When we did have to shovel she made it almost impossible as she thought all of that lovely stuff should be hers to run through. She turned back into a puppy running and rolling in snow. This will be our second Christmas without her. Enjoy Shadow’s fun this winter!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 7:48 am.
Aww, I love the visual of your Aussie playing in the snow. They do revert back to puppies, don’t they? Guaranteed to make you smile and laugh.
I love that you have snowball fights with the neighbors!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:56 am.
I love ANY snow event!!! Last year we got maybe 6 inches total all winter, but I always hope for a couple of good snows each year.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 7:49 am.
Are you like me in those rather light snows scooping up as much as you can off the hood of the car to make a snowball? Here’s hoping you get a little more this year so you can enjoy it all.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:58 am.
Just wanted to add that last night when I crawled into bed I had to laugh. All four of the current “On The Shelf” Goddess books were piled on my nightstand. What a lovely sight!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 7:51 am.
Oooh, that IS a lovely sight!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:59 am.
I love snow. Its so magical watching it come down. I am my fathers daughter with snow. Dad took pictures of every snow fall. I can’t wait to see how my sisters new puppy acts in the snow.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 7:54 am.
I love photos of fresh snow. It can make just about any location turn into a winter wonderland. *sigh* I can’t wait!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:00 am.
Sheridan! I hope you don’t take a lashing for the UGG comment!
I grew up in Western New York, the lake effect snow capital of the world. When I was young I loved the snow. You are right about the quiet sound too. I remember finding myself at times just standing there watching the flakes fall and listening to it. I can even see and hear it now even though I am hundreds of miles away from there. Now I stay far away from it. Where I live now we may get snow one time in the winter, and that is too much. So I am moving! One of my dogs doesn’t care, the other doesn’t like it at all. She is the Queen, and did not appreciate the snow forming little balls on her feet. She stands there looking all pathetic at me holding up her paw. The Queen. Does UGG make dog boots?
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 7:57 am.
LOL I’ve been rolling my eyes at UGGs for so long now I am immune to all the backlash.
Are you really moving because it snows once a year? I would think that wouldn’t be so bad even if you don’t like snow.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:03 am.
Oh my goodness… No that is not why I’m moving! I need to find a way to better express my joking nature. Sorry!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:17 am.
hahaha I had to check.. I have known a few people that have listed that as their reason for moving and did not ask why that one little thing would cause them to make such an upheaval, ya know?
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:43 am.
Now I will say that my original move to the south was partly due to the weather in NY. It had almost become six months of depression. But that still was only part of the reason.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 12:26 pm.
We had out first snow last week!
I loved snow as a kid because it meant no school and playing outside. Now it means digging your car out of it and dragging yourself to work in the wet and cold so I hate it. I’d rather go to snow when I want it like when I go snowboarding
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 8:32 am.
Oh, I am jealous! I can imagine what your town looks like in snow, I’ll bet it’s gorgeous! I don’t snowboard and only skied once, so I am not as inclined to head up to the mountains.. but I’ll go sledding and walking around! It IS definitely more fun when you get to play and enjoy it rather than fight the nonsense to get into work.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:06 am.
I’ll try to post some pictures next time
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 4:53 pm.
I adore the first snow! It’s one of my favorite days.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 9:02 am.
It’s magical
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:07 am.
I love a good snow especially when it’s on a weekend so I don’t have stay home from work guilt.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 9:10 am.
true that, though sometimes a little staying home from work guilt is ok… well, more the staying home from work, not the guilt part.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:07 am.
Snow is wonderful except for the part that falls on the streets, haha. People just don’t know how to drive on it. All that aside, the first snow of winter is beautiful. Our first snow last year was the October blizzard, then we hardly had any snow the rest of the year. After Sandy, who knows what this year will bring? But they’re predicting snow for next week.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 9:56 am.
I do hope it doesn’t snow there yet so you all get a chance to recover a bit more and all the power is back on.
I agree many don’t know how to drive in it. I wish those who didn’t know how would really realize it and stop trying.
Stay safe and warm. I know we are all thinking about the east coast right now.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:10 am.
Thanks, Sheridan. We got our power back relatively early–after two days. But DDs still don’t have theirs, so they are bringing Leia over here when DD#2 goes to work.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:15 am.
Ah! We are kindred spirits! I love snow and wait for it in the same manner you do. The hush in the late evening when the street lights give a soft glow to the pristine snow that has just fallen on the ground.
My horse loves snow. You should see him run and kick up his heels. He also looks pretty cute in his winter blanket. My chocolate lab is a lover of snow. He comes in with it on his snout and whiskers after digging around. We live in an area where all seasons show themselves to their utmost. It could snow tonight and I would be happy.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 11:58 am.
I see I am in good company! I had forgotten how horses kind of dance in snow as well!
I hope there is snow soon for you, your horse and the adorable chocolate lab.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 12:23 pm.
Snow! Yes! Born in NE Colorado and raised there and Nebraska panhandle. Our family still owns a couple of cabins in Red Feather although I haven’t been there in many years, I heard it is a resort town now. Many moons in LA meant no snow but living in Oregon has changed that. I have pictures of our dog Spencer running around between our yard and the neighbor’s the first time he ever saw snow. He discovered he could get on the trampoline, his favorite toy, run around very fast and the stop suddenly to make the snow fly up and fall on him again.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 12:16 pm.
HAHAHA I would love to see Spencer on the trampoline! How wonderful! I am glad I am not the only one who missed seasons while living in LA.
Congratulations being back in a snowier climate!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 12:26 pm.
When we had a pool Spencer discovered he cold use the trampoline for a diving board by the running and sudden stop method, it would bounce him into the pool. We would hear a giant splash in the middle of the night, Spencer going for a swim. He was so mad at us when we sold the pool to our tile man.
We had to let Spencer go to another family with more room to run because being cooped up here was making him so unhappy. He loves his forever family and the dad takes him to the lake to swim.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 12:36 pm.
So glad Spencer found a new forever home he can run in. He sounds like a wonderful dog
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 3:22 pm.
I love snow, and I’m looking forward to snow this winter, however, i’m not ready to let go of this beautiful fall weather. It is perfect, with the blue skies, crunchy leaves, and weather that I can still take my walks outside in.
I love snow days. The kids and I hang out and we usually bake something and veg in front of the tv. I love living in an area where there is the chance for snow days because they’re usually unexpected. We shovel, and play. It is the best.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 12:29 pm.
Fall is gorgeous and it is tough to say goodbye, isn’t it?
You know, I remember when I moved to Texas from Colorado and it snowed maybe half an inch. Schools were shut down and my mother kept saying “Are you kidding? For half an inch?” then trying to figure out what to do with us for the day. hehe
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 3:24 pm.
There absolutely is a reason I’m so happy in Texas. I intensely dislike snow…almost bordering on hate. It’s cold, messy, and (especially here in Texas), turns muddy and slushy. I’ve been to Utah twice over Christmas to visit the hub’s brother’s family, but I’m a warm weather girl. Don’t like cold, don’t like being layered….yuck. I can officially say that I have been on a snow mobile, and now I never have to again. The hub and son love it, my daughter and I….not so much. We FROZE…almost quite literally. Our toes were almost frost-bitten and it took hours to get them a normal fleshy color again from the mardi gras purple they had turned.
Snow absolutely IS beautiful, I just think it’s far prettier the farther it is from me.
I told the hub that we can go on MY kind of vacation next time…somewhere warm, with a balmy breeze, and a pretty little fruity drink in one hand and a great book in the other. Yep, that’s my ideal.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 1:29 pm.
lol I really hated the ice storms when I lived in Texas.. and the hail. I’d much rather deal with the fluffy snow than the black ice with a snow blanket.
Some people are warm weather people and some hot. I can’t relate as much to the warm weather stuff – perhaps it has to do where people grew up? Who knows.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 3:26 pm.
Could be. I know I’d much rather be in a t-shirt, shorts and flops with a pair of shades and a good book, than bundled in several layers. Especially shopping…going in and out of stores and having to carry bulky coats, gloves, hats, scarves, etc. Yuck.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:45 pm.
I love the first snow, if it falls when I am at home and don’t have to deal with the drivers who freak out. Or if it is a light snow that does not accumulate—then I like it best if it happens when I am out and about.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 1:46 pm.
Yeah, perfect scenario in my book is a lovely medium snow on a day I can just curl up and enjoy the beauty.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 3:27 pm.
I have huskies. Snow is their toy, joy, and the bane of my existence—nothing quite like wet dogs. However, there is magic in the quietness only snow brings, as if the world is waiting, anticipating something truly special, so although it means extra work for me, I do look forward to that gentle hush it brings to our often chaotic world.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 1:52 pm.
very well said, Gwyn! and I’ll bet those huskies love it!
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 3:28 pm.
I miss snow. Of course, this time of the year, the weather in FL is pretty sweet, so while I miss snow, I don’t miss the cold. If they could make warm snow, I’d be down with that. Really down. Until then, I’m happy just to visit it.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 2:13 pm.
Visiting it is good. I really, really wanted a white Christmas a few years ago when I was in LA.. so I took a trip to Banff Canada for Christmas (photo above) and it was the absolute perfect winter wonderland.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 3:29 pm.
We very seldom get snow here in Alabama, and when we do everything comes to a standstill. But yes I would enjoy the silence and watching the snow coming down in the lights.
Posted on November 3, 2012 at 10:47 pm.
I love the snow especially the first snow. The weather here in the southern UK is unpredictable when it comes to snow. Last winter we didn’t get any snow to speak of but the 2 winters previous to that we had SNOW to the point that we had snow days from school. Here’s hoping we get SNOW this winter and my 2 boys will be happy especially if they get snow days
Posted on November 4, 2012 at 6:39 pm.