Walking in The Snow

Posted Tue Feb 5, 2002 in

It’s snowing here in Lubbock this afternoon. I’ve been home sick, again, for the last few days. I seem to now have caught cold. So, I’m not doing much besides drinking lots of liquids and resting. Nonetheless, it’s snowing here in Lubbock this afternoon. We have no accumulation, but the NWS suggests we might have 2-4 inches before it quits this evening.

I had a AIM chat with a close friend this morning. We got to talking about the snow. It reminded me of when I lived in Missouri as a teenager. We lived between Rolla and St. James, Missouri, about eight miles from both small towns, on a gravel-surface county road. Several times during the early 70’s we had some substantial snowfalls—twelve inches or more. It was always special when it happened. For adults, it was a nuisance. But for me, it was a delight.

I was born in Los Angeles, California—Van Nuys to be precise—and lived there until I was 14 years old. (We did a short stint in central California before moving east.) There was little snow in LA, so snow was special to me.

On snowy Missouri days, I went outside in my nylon parka and and furry leather gloves to walk in the snow. I loved the sound of the big flakes plopping on my parka hood. Their swirling and dancing in the wind was magical. I could walk around for hours, listening to the quiet of the snow, my boots crunching on the accumulating whiteness of it.

At night, I went outside for long walks in the snowy woods. Even with the sky overcast, the whiteness of the snow was so bright I could see. (Clear, moonlit nights were fantastic!) When it covered the ground, I walked with near silence, like a hooded blue ghost drifting between the stark trees. The night was special—so quiet and peaceful. The cedar trees, oddball fellows spread about in clumps betwixt the neighboring hardwoods, bent their limbs down in obeisance to the winter blanket. I absorbed the silent peace as I moved about through the trees. These were times of healing in my teenage life.

It’s now many years later. I miss those snowy times because we have little snow here and there is no forest. But the falling snowflakes outside make me remember. The memory is good.

  1. R.: You would just love Shickshinny ! Population: 1100. Awoke this morning and found about 1/2 inch of snow on the deck.........Mag (see today's blog) took off like a rocket. SNOW! Springer's love snow! Temperature: A bone chillin' 12 degrees. (why is there no degree on this keyboard? that truly annoys me) Our backyard borders State Game Land 260 or 360 and is chock full of wildlife: deer, bear, and squirrels, If y'all are ever in the N.E. section of Penna. do drop us an email ! We'll fire up the Weber and have a brewski or twoski! By the by, how far is Lubbock from Houston? BobtheCorgi, Onewhoknows.blogspot.com and I will be hosting a mini meet Pre-BlogCon2002 in Houston the week of April 22. Interested? — tina    5 February 2002, 10:21    #

  2. Sounds like a nice place. Dogs are funny with snow. My mongrel just turns up her nose. The boxer goes nuts and frolicks. Instead of a degree symbol, I use 12F to represent temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. 12C would be way to express temps in centrigrade. :) (That's the engineer in me. :) Lubbock is in the south high plains regions, about 100 miles south from Amarillo. That makes it about 500 miles (+/-) from Houston. It's about a days ride from Lubbock to Houston. I'd love to show up, but it's a bit far for me, especially during the semester. Sorry. It's still snowing here --- big, heavy flakes of the stuff. It looks like we'll have some accumulation in the morning. That's OK though, because it never stays around long here on the south high plains. I'll be riding my bike again by the weekend, most likely. — ruminator    5 February 2002, 15:16    #

  3. I love the snow! I grew up in the middle of nowhere (central Illinois) where the snow drifted waist-high sometimes. I have wonderful memories of snow in my childhood. But now I live in Missouri and it's even more beautiful! On the farm, we had very few trees. Now, I live virtually in the middle of a forest. Trees surround my home. When it snows, often the wet snow will cling to the trees and outline the black trunks and limbs. It is truly beautiful. And night is really spectacular, isn't it? The moonlight reflecting off the snow -- seems the ground is glowing. We're supposed to have snow today but haven't seen any yet. And my dog LOVES the snow! The old lab (when he's feeling good) snuffles through it, nose to the ground, and sometimes rolls in it. And, of course, I love it, too! Nothing better than sledding with the kids, getting red-faced and tired from walking up the big hill, and then coming in for cocoa! Man, I love winter! — astone    6 February 2002, 00:58    #

  4. Me too! Big waves on the North Shore to watch wash over roads, lots of rain-caused mud for the Tigger dog to wallow in and track all over the carpets, and more neat stuff! Yessiree, I just love winter! — Linkmeister    6 February 2002, 08:04    #

  5. I remember once my father-in-law (to be) hooked up an old drag sled behind the tractor and took us down the county road. I used to ride a little mini-bike in the snow too, running around kicking up rooster tails of the fluffy white stuff, especially those dry snows in the middle of the winter. Those were good days and lots of fun. The snow is gone here. I took the truck to the office this morning, then came home for lunch. It was about 40F and the roads were dry, so I took the bike back for the afternoon meetings. It was good to get outside, although just a little cool. It was still a good ride. The sky is now clear, so it will be cold tonight. The stars should be hard and bright. — ruminator    6 February 2002, 09:55    #