SNOW!

In the grand scheme of things, there are three different ways to look at white flakes that fall from the sky and accumulate on the ground: snow.

The first way we look at snow comes from what age you are. Little children look at snow with fascination and want to go out and play in it. So parents bundle them up so completely that they can hardly move. School age students look at the snow and watch for an excessive accumulation so school is canceled and they can have a day off. Early and middle adulthood look at snow as a form of recreation: snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skiing, sledding. If, however, the adult has a home but no children, the snow must be moved off the driveway and/or sidewalk, and that takes effort and time after working hard all day. If the adult has children, the idea of "child labor" takes on a new meaning; if you shovel the drive, I'll pay you $10.00. Older adults look at the snow and worry about who will shovel or worse, what will happen if they fall.

The way we look at snow depends on how long the season is lasting and how much snow has fallen. The first snow fall looks pretty and sparkly, at least until the salt, sand, and cinders have destroyed the pristine picture. By January or February, especially this year with the amounts of snow that have fallen, we look at the snow and wonder how much more will fall with the "I'm tired of all this white stuff."

The weatherman has a different take. Have you ever noticed that the weatherman always talks about a "light" snow? Since snow is white when it falls, how could it ever be thought as something other than "light," until we have to shovel it. Each individual snowflake is light in weight; so again, "light" fits.

So, what is your take on snow?