Let It Snow

Somewhere I read that the Japanese have over 100 words for "snow." I can undersatand having more than one. I can even understand having several, but 100! That's a lot of words for that frozen stuff that falls from the sky.
I realize that my contact with the white, fluffy stuff has been minimal, but I have seen lots of photos and there are all those Christmas cards that surface every year.Snow is depicted on a lot of them. We even have snow here in Central Texas....occasionally. That is when all the schools and businesses shut down and everyone stays home to telephone their friends in the Northeast . Conversations go something like this:

"It is snowing here!"
" I don't know. What is 'sticking?'"
"Sand the roads? No., I don't think that is in the budget. We just stay home."
"We built a snowman. The carrot was too big for the nose, but I found a broken baby carrot that fits. I had to take a close-up  photo so you can tell what it is."
"More snow tomorrow? I don't think so. It is supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny."

Well, you get the picture. It is said that no two snowflakes are alike. I would like to know who has seen and examined all those flakes. I can cut paper to look like snowflakes. I can examine snowflakes as they fall onto dark clothing. I can find oodles of photos of snowflakes. Lots of snow in lots of places, but none quite like what I saw in Colorado.

At Bishop's Palace, just as we were preparing to leave, I saw "snow" falling from the sky. It was a cold day, but fairly sunny, so I did not expect anything. I put my gloved hand out to catch some of the delicate flakes and just stood there in wonder. I had never seen anything like this before. Granted, I am not an expert, but it was still most unusual for me. Surely, the wind was knocking something from the trees, I thought. No, what I saw on my hand was really falling from the sky. No, it was not the fluffy, delicately patterened snowflakes I would have expected. I had cream colored, light-as-air, perfectly round little balls! They drifted down and settled, just like the snow with which I am familiar, but not the look of the snow I know.

The second occurrence was not really "snow", although I thought it was at first. In Amarillo, I walked outside fairly early in the morning. It was really cold, but the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds. I looked around in wonder as I saw brightly-colored "floaters" swirling about. You know, those glittering lights you kind of notice floating around your eyes sometimes. I felt as if I were in a giant snow globe and someone was sprinkling glitter over me. it left me with a sense of beauty and wonder.
"Frozen fog," my self-proclaimed Alaskan daughter said.
Well, it was news to me. I had never seen anything like it before.

I figure the Japanese might not be too far off the mark. Maybe there are 100 words for snow. I am anxious to see the other 95 kinds.

Think Snow!

Colorado has a reputation - beautiful, mountains, snow.....

All of it is true, just not all of Colorado is the same. I drove through flat plains headed to Colorado Springs. Fortunately, the weather was perfect, and maybe unusual for this time of year. As I neared my destination, snow-capped mountains rose on the horizon promising respite from the hot summer weather that was just beginning to dissipate when I left home.

Gunner, ABW, and family live in military housing on the grounds of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I packed hiking boots and sweaters, looking forward to the cold weather, snow, and winter fun. ABW had shared the excitement of weeks of snowfall beginning in late August and continuing through November 15th. I was ready!

My dreams melted like powdered snow. We have had gorgeous weather since I arrived! It is bright and sunny, yet cool. Long sleeves are sufficient for this weather and just enough for long walks. One thing I had not counted on is the thinner air. It doesn't really seem that I drove uphill, but I have been informed we are at 6500 feet. I do have to work harder to breathe with exertion in the decreased oxygen.

Even though it has not snowed in 2 weeks, and "everyone" says "it doesn't stick long here," there is an abundance of snow here in the housing area. Of course, my first thought was to make a snowman, but the snow has iced over and become frozen. So we have the best of both worlds - picturesque "snow" and lovely warm weather. There is a slight chance I will see a snowfall on Sunday.

Memory Box - Travel & T.V.

From the Memory Box:

Remember when we went to Colorado in the van? We had the black & white T.V. that would run for two hours on a battery and the four of us watched Kramer vs Kramer. At the end of the show, (DD#1) had to keep flipping the switch to get a bit of a charge so that she could see who starred in the show. How in the world did we get reception, speeding down the highway?

It was a 15 passenger van. We thought it would provide enough room for four children that we would not have any problems. NOT! However, one of the bench seats in the middle of the van could be flipped around so two of the bench seats could face each other. A table could then be pulled up, attached to the wall of the van on one side and rested on one leg on the other side.

The T.V. was portable, very small, and had only a black and white picture. It could be plugged in to an electrical outlet or run on its battery. Although the battery did not last long, the novelty of it did make the trip a bit easier for a couple of hours.

Another way I maintained a couple of hours camaraderie, but it only worked one time, was when I told the children we would be going through snow.
"Keep your eyes open," I said, "you will miss it if you aren't being observant."
The exercise kept everyone's attention for quite a while, even though they were sceptical and kept asking when they would see it. Finally, I pointed out to them, as we sailed past in the car, the little green sign on the side of the road that said "Snow."
They tried to argue, but I was adamant that we had gone through a small town named Snow. Therefore, we had gone through Snow.