Snowblind

I'm not real hip on snow. Luckily I do live in an area where we don't have to deal with it more than once or twice a year on average. This winter seems to want to skew that average slightly higher.

Sunday through Monday, we got one of the biggest snows we have had in some time. I know 5 inches doesn't sound like a lot to those of you who live in the northern parts of our country, or even in the mountains of North and South Carolina, but for our area that's a lot. Not the biggest now I've seen here in my life, but it's probably been at least 6 years since we last saw this amount of show, and especially snow that has stuck around this long.

I have one of those love/hate relationships with snow. I don't really care for it now, as an adult, though I do find it nice to look at. Getting a day off from work was nice as well, but in all honesty, I could have made it in if I really wanted to. I do not, however, like the inconveniences this type of weather brings. While they are really insignificant, it just becomes a pain in the ass. Add on top of that a touch of cabin fever and I'm ready for it to be gone in 24 hours.

That being said, the kid inside of me loves the snow. I don't really play in it anymore, but seeing my kids go out and enjoy it brings a smile to my face. It beings back memories of the excitement of a snow day, playing outside all day, even when mom and dad are trying to get me to come in so as to avoid catching my "death of cold". If my kids were younger (and when they were), I would play outside with them in the snow any chance I got. Now, I just go out and enjoy it with them briefly before they're done with me because they have their friends to play with. I even offered to held build a snowman that was met with, "No. That's okay" and, "Not really". But I don't begrudge them... they had been out all day and I can understand the desire to thaw out for the night.

Another thing I don't like about snow is driving in it. I can do it... cautiously. I usually choose not to do it unless absolutely necessary. And the northerners who bitch about people not knowing how to drive in the snow ("Oh, it's easy. All you have to do is blah, blah, blah...."), while they drive recklessly because they're "great at driving in the snow". There may be some truth in that, but that overconfidence is probably a greater danger than the person driving 40 miles per hour on the interstate that you're complaining about being stuck behind.

Today the sun has come out, and even though it's just above freezing, the snow is melting quickly. The noises of large chunks of ice sliding off of rooftops and cars is a welcome sound. I still know that that we will continue to see ugly patches of dirty snow over the next week. It also wrecks havoc on the yards in the neighborhood causing more mud to be tracked into the house by kids who refuse to "stay in or out". And then there's the fact that tonight, when I leave work at 12:15, I'll be one of those people driving 40 miles per hour on the interstate for fear of hitting black ice.