It's snowing for the third day in a row in my home town, and I have mixed feelings. I don't particularly like snow - that may seem petty, but I have good reasons. I worry how much my fuel bill is going to be with this unseasonally early cold spell. The short walk to school has become a gamble depending on whether it's snow or ice underfoot, and on how many drivers decide to brave the conditions and whether they will behave sensibly. My husband still has to get in and, more importantly out, of work.
But there are things I do like. I love the quietness of it; stop to listen and you can hear the patter of flakes as they join the multitude that have already formed drifts. Hardly anyone is around, so there's very little traffic. Even the odd car that passes is muffled by its shrouding white blanket. As I walk, the scrunch of it underfoot gives me a strange feeling of satisfaction.
Then come the bad things. The knowledge that the pristine snow I march through now is likely to become an undulating slither of grey ice tomorrow. The air so cold that it burns my nostrils with every intake. The fact that every flake clinging to me as I walk into the gratifying warmth of my home will become a cold sogginess by the time I'm forced to venture out again. Yuk!
So how are you finding the snowy weather? Do you love or hate it? Or are you basking in glorious heat that has you wishing for a little of my ice and snow?
A bit like you, I think. I love the beauty, romance and STILLNESS of it, and walking a little way in fresh snow. I love the light it gives during darkness, and the pure magic of it around Christmas. But I hate the danger & disruption it brings, the worry until everyone is safe home, the unprofessional-ism of not being able to get to work, the extra energy we all burn to keep warm. And it scares me now I'm older, & don't walk well. It traps me indoors when I want to be out & doing. But I have to say, my heart melts when I see the first snow falling, and snow-covered trees make it sing!
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