Snow or Lack Thereof
I live in Northwest Georgia. It used to snow here. It doesn't anymore. The reason why is a completely different topic that I am not willing to fathom!
I grew up all over the place. I was born in Virginia (it snowed) and lived in New York state as a teenager (boy did it snow!) and Germany ( more snow). I also lived in Southern California, El Paso, Texas and Miami, Florida. We had snow in the mountains of Southern Cal and snow in El Paso. It even snowed once in Miami! The longest I ever lived in one place was Georgia. We got a light dusting every year. Occassionally a big snow but you always got a least one snow to let you know it was winter time. So I grew up used to seeing snow at least once a year.
My first duty station in the Navy as a student was in Chicago. I have never experienced cold and snow like I did in Chicago. No offense to Northerners (Yankees) but I now know why y'all don't have that Southern Hospitality. After one winter there I was mean as a snake.
While I was stationed in Hawaii I really missed cold winters. Going to the beach on Christmas morning is about as depressing as things get. San Fransisco lived up to the Mark Twain saying "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Fransisco.". The winters were mild and rainy, the summers were cool.
I came back to Georgia around 15 years ago. About 10 years ago I began to notice that our snows were getting lighter. About 7 years ago they disappeared altogether. Each year I hear the old-timers say "Maybe it will snow this year.... We ought to have a really cold winter this year..... We are due a cold winter..." But each year we get some blistering cold but no snow. And even when it gets really cold (like today; 16 degrees) it doesn't stay cold enough to kill off bugs.
I MISS SNOW!! Snow in the South is vastly different than snow up North. When there is a forcast of a CHANCE of snow everyone goes nuts. People run out to the grocery store and buy out the milk and bread. There are traffic jams from all the stay-at-homes out on the road and the worker bees trying to get home early. The grocery stores are PACKED and the milk and bread are gone from the shelves in record time. Why bread and milk and not beer and chips?? I don't know.
The next thing that happens is we all watch the news. We look for the school closings which begin the afternoon before the forcasted snow. It starts from the top of Georgia first. Usually Blue Ridge and Elijay are first with Cherokee county next. Then businesses start announcing their closings followed by banks, colleges and government offices! No lie! It is like we roll up the streets.
Once it does snow we send the kids outside and snap pictures of snow angels, small snowmen and snow covered trees and winter wonderland. We make hot chocolate, ice milk and snow cones. No sight of sandwiches so the bread goes unused! :-) We build a fire in the woodburning stove, huddle around with fleece blankets, bundle up to go outside with giddy childlike excitement. It is like a Holiday!
I miss that. Yes, I can drive to the snow and experience the cold, the beauty and grandure. But it isn't the same.
I grew up all over the place. I was born in Virginia (it snowed) and lived in New York state as a teenager (boy did it snow!) and Germany ( more snow). I also lived in Southern California, El Paso, Texas and Miami, Florida. We had snow in the mountains of Southern Cal and snow in El Paso. It even snowed once in Miami! The longest I ever lived in one place was Georgia. We got a light dusting every year. Occassionally a big snow but you always got a least one snow to let you know it was winter time. So I grew up used to seeing snow at least once a year.
My first duty station in the Navy as a student was in Chicago. I have never experienced cold and snow like I did in Chicago. No offense to Northerners (Yankees) but I now know why y'all don't have that Southern Hospitality. After one winter there I was mean as a snake.
While I was stationed in Hawaii I really missed cold winters. Going to the beach on Christmas morning is about as depressing as things get. San Fransisco lived up to the Mark Twain saying "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Fransisco.". The winters were mild and rainy, the summers were cool.
I came back to Georgia around 15 years ago. About 10 years ago I began to notice that our snows were getting lighter. About 7 years ago they disappeared altogether. Each year I hear the old-timers say "Maybe it will snow this year.... We ought to have a really cold winter this year..... We are due a cold winter..." But each year we get some blistering cold but no snow. And even when it gets really cold (like today; 16 degrees) it doesn't stay cold enough to kill off bugs.
I MISS SNOW!! Snow in the South is vastly different than snow up North. When there is a forcast of a CHANCE of snow everyone goes nuts. People run out to the grocery store and buy out the milk and bread. There are traffic jams from all the stay-at-homes out on the road and the worker bees trying to get home early. The grocery stores are PACKED and the milk and bread are gone from the shelves in record time. Why bread and milk and not beer and chips?? I don't know.
The next thing that happens is we all watch the news. We look for the school closings which begin the afternoon before the forcasted snow. It starts from the top of Georgia first. Usually Blue Ridge and Elijay are first with Cherokee county next. Then businesses start announcing their closings followed by banks, colleges and government offices! No lie! It is like we roll up the streets.
Once it does snow we send the kids outside and snap pictures of snow angels, small snowmen and snow covered trees and winter wonderland. We make hot chocolate, ice milk and snow cones. No sight of sandwiches so the bread goes unused! :-) We build a fire in the woodburning stove, huddle around with fleece blankets, bundle up to go outside with giddy childlike excitement. It is like a Holiday!
I miss that. Yes, I can drive to the snow and experience the cold, the beauty and grandure. But it isn't the same.
posted by SGT Lori at 10:11
1 Comments:
I always thought there was a mandatory meeting at the grocery store :) I like snow just fine if I can stay home from work, but I'd just as soon not mess with the other drivers and their idiocy!
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