Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Living in a Snowglobe

Well it's snowing again. This has been the most amazing winter so far. Snow, snow and more snow. It's finally melted in large part from the first blizzard on December 21st. Now the snow isn't accumulating, just floating to the ground lightly in fat, fluffy flakes as if the world outside my window was one of those snowglobes I collect.

People who aren't from Colorado often think we have winters of non-stop snow, mistaking the ski slopes and mountain areas with the entire state. The largest population centers are located just East of the mountain range and here, the snowfall is somewhat different.

Typically, we will have snow followed by a few temperate days during which the accumulated snow melts. Any snow we get usually goes away quickly and there is never enough of it for me. I am delighted by the snow, but unfortunately, the icy sidewalks (many people have never cleared their walks) make it difficult to walk through the neighborhood, and I have had an attack of FM and sciatica keeping me indoors more than I would prefer. I love the crisp air and the cold on my face. I love playing in the snow!

There was a story on the news tonight about people who get the winter blues. They typically do this story every winter. Even though the cold makes my joints ache and my arthritis a bit worse, I can't understand getting down in the dumps when the skies are overcast and there is snow on the ground.

When the leaves have fallen off the trees I can see Pikes Peak from my deck. I've prayed that some natural occurance would cause the top 20 or 30 feet to fall off their trees so that I could see the mountain year round, but that hasn't happened. But when fall causes the leaves to jump to their deaths, I get to see the glorious mountain.

Now, the mountain, the city lights, my fabulous trees are all seen through the gentle snowfall. I love snowglobes.