Monday, December 01, 2008

SNOW Is A Four Letter Word

View from the train window at one of the stops on the way to work. Note the wet window pane and the reflection of the light from the opposite side of the train. That light is kind of annoying. So is that awful white stuff outside.

Maybe it's because I'm old. Maybe it's because I'm clumsy. All I know is, when I see snow, my first reaction is not "Goody."
It's "Oh, no."

I confess. I hate snow. Oh, yes, it's very pretty. If I didn't have to deal with it, maybe I could stand it. But I do have to deal with it and way too often. I have to walk down the sidewalks that are either piled with the white stuff or the used-to-be white stuff that's turned messy, sloppy and dirty.

This morning I left the house early and trudged the usual five plus blocks to the train station, battling the snow falling on my face, plus the piles on the sidewalks. The places where the snow wasn't, which were the spots where homeowners thought they were doing a favor by shoveling or snow blowing, were actually more treacherous, since they were icy. I was exhausted by the time I sat down on the train, and I'm used to walking.

When I got Downtown and exited Ogilvie Transportation Centre, I was treated to a sloppy walk over the icy bridge. Then, there were the puddles of water and slush at every street corner, where I had to decide which was the best spot to cross without getting splattered or immersing my boots in the wet stuff.

Needless to say, I didn't go far on my lunch hour. Fortunately, the DH picked me up after I got off the train in the evening, saving me the misery of walking home in the dark over the snow and ice again. Thank goodness on Tuesday the DH can start later for work and can drive me to the train.

And this is just the beginning! There must be a reason why we still live in Illinois. Sometimes I wonder.

What about you? Do you love snow? Do you have mixed feelings? Do you hate it?

Please share.

6 comments:

  1. Sorry MM I love that stuff! I am in the Mid South and we usually only ever get rain. If it gets cold enough to snow, it usually is too cold and we get ICE! It's the pits. But snow? Oh my. It looks good, and it feels good, and it makes me smile.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love to see it. I love to play in. I would not want to live in it or work in it. For me, it makes a nice vacation, then I go home to the sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't lived in snow since 1978 (used to live in Decatur, Illinois), but I still love it, probably because I'm not out in it every day. In Decatur, there were three perfect days every year, weather-wise. One was that first, crisp day of fall when the leaves had turned and the air had that little cold snap to it. The second was the first day of spring, when you could feel the warmth coming and the ground was dry. The third was the first snowfall, before it had been stepped on and driven through and blackened by exhaust.

    I've lived in southern California for 30 years now, and currently wish it would rain, but only a little because we just had huge fires and we don't want our houses to slide down the hillsides or fall into fissures. So much for SoCal seasons: wind, fire, mud, heat.

    So, yes, I'd love to see some snow about now.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love snow! I admit, I actually pray for it. There is something so magical about the first snow of the season, especially with young kids in the house.

    Maybe I should qualify my love for snow. LOL! I love it in November and December, but I'm not too keen on it after the first of the year--which is when we get most of our snow.

    I don't drive as much as I used to, so it's easy for me to like it. But I feel sorry for those who have to do anything other than sledding down the hill in it. Which reminds me, I'm overdue for a sled ride down the hill.

    C'mon snow!

    Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I love it in December, but when I see it flying around at the end of April...well, it over stays its welcome.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ski lodge owners have bumper stickers that say, "Think Snow," and I love looking at it out the window, but here in Wyoming where the wind blows at least as bad as in Chicago, a snowy day can be lethal if your car breaks down. We carry survival gear in our 4-wheel drive vehicles.

    ReplyDelete

Your Comment Is Welcome