Snow,Oh Beautiful Snow!

[MikeMorgan]

Snow, Oh Beautiful Snow!
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Recent weather events reminded me of this letter I received many years ago. Does this ring a bell with anybody?

Mike

December 8th: It's starting to snow. The first of the season and the first one we've seen in years. The wife and I got out our hot buttered rums and set by the picture window, watching the snow flakes drift down, clinging to the trees and covering the ground. It was soooo beautiful.

December 9th: We awoke to a lovely blanket of crystal white snow covering the landscape, what a beautiful sight. Every tree and shrub covered with a beautiful white mantel. I shoveled for the first time in years and loved it. I did our driveway, our sidewalk, and even the neighbors walk. Later a snowplow came along and accidentally covered up our driveway with compacted snow from the street. The driver smiled and waved. I smiled back and shoveled it again.

December 10th: It snowed an additional 6 inches last night and the temperature dropped to around 11 degrees. Several limbs on the trees and shrubs snapped due to the weight of the snow. I shoveled the driveway again, heck with the neighbors walk. Shortly afterwards, the snowplow came by and did his trick again. Much of the snow is now brownish grey.

December 11th: It warmed up enough today to create some slush which soon became ice when the temperature dropped again. I bought snow tires for both cars. Fell on my ass in the driveway. $145.00 to a chiropractor, but nothing was broken. More snow and ice expected.

December 12th: Still Friggin cold. Sold the wife's car and bought a 4 X 4 in order to get her to work. Slid into a guard rail anyway and did a considerable amount of damage to the right rear quarter panel. Had another 8 inches of the white **** last night. Both vehicles covered in salt and crud. More shoveling in store for me. That ******* snowplow came by and buried me again.

December 13th: 2 degrees outside. More ****ing snow. Not a tree or shrub on our property that hasn't been damaged. Power was out most of the night. No ****in heat. Tried to keep from freezing to death with the candles and a kerosene heater. Heater tipped over and nearly burned the house down. I managed to put the flames out but suffered second degree burns on my hand and lost all my eyelashes and eyebrows. Car slid on ice on way to emergency room and was totaled.

December 14th: ******* mother-****in white **** keeps on coming down. Have to put on all the clothes we own just to get to the ****in mail box. If I ever catch the son of a ***** that drives the snowplow, I'll chew his chest off and rip out his heart. I think he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then comes down the street about 100 mph and buries the ficking driveway. Power still off and the toilet is frozen. Can't piss or **** inside. Roof is starting to cave in.

December 15th: 6 more ******* ****in inches of ****in snow and ****in sleet and ****in ice and ******* knows what other kind of white ****in **** fell last night. I wounded that ****in snowplow dickhead with an ice axe, but the ******* got away. Wife left me. ****in car won't start. I think I'm going snowblind. I can't move my toes. My ***k is almost frozen solid. Haven't seen the sun in weeks. More snow predicted. Wind chill factor is -33 degrees. ******* it, I'm moving back south!

[leehljp]

There is another side to this too!

Back in the summer of '92, I moved into a new neighborhood in Osaka about the same time a fellow from Minneapolis moved in with his Japanese wife. We instantly became great friends. As fall came, he gave warning on how he was used to cold weather unlike anything we had in the south.

In November, when most people were wearing coats and especially long sleeves, he was still wearing short sleeves. Then December and January. In mid Jan, he came over almost every evening (and I didn't mind). Then one day, he said, "It gets cold around here. Our house stays cold." (Japanese don't often use the heater but instead use a type of electric blankets to sit under or rugs to sit on. We heated our house and that is why he kept coming over, daily ) I reminded him of what he had said in the fall about being "cold tough." I also told him that it was only 28° to 30° outside.

He replied "But this is a different cold than we have in Minneapolis!" I just laughed! "A high humidity at 28 to 35° gets to the bones quicker than dry cold at 0°" he said. Lesson learned!

[twistsol]

I lived in Seattle for 10 years and I've never been colder in my life. I'll gladly take -20 and dry in Minnesota over 30 and soggy any day.

[gerti]

He replied "But this is a different cold than we have in Minneapolis!" I just laughed! "A high humidity at 28 to 35° gets to the bones quicker than dry cold at 0°" he said. Lesson learned!

I grew up in Germany. Winter temperatures around freezing, but very damp. Now I live in Minneapolis. And I have to agree with your friend.

When I visit Germany in Winter, wearing close perfectly suitable for single-digit Minnesota temperatures, I will still freeze in that darn damp cold in Germany even though it is 20+F warmer there.

[jackellis]

Ah yes, humidity. It's nice and dry up here at 6400 feet. Temps were in the low 40s today and I ran a few errands in town wearing a long-sleeved shirt but no jacket.

Of course, when the snow flies, I stay inside with a fire going.

We got a lot of snow in November and December but it's been dry for the last three weeks and bare spots are appearing in the back yard.

[RAFlorida]

I can relate to the "feels colder" in the South.

I was born and raised in Ohio, and in '65 joined a carnival to see the land and women. Well we were doing a gig down in West Palm Beach, Florida in November that year and that night the temperature dropped down to the upper 30s. And I could not find enough army blankets to stay warm! I'm not sure, but I think there is something about the higher humidity theory feeling colder.
Back in May 2004, I visited my Aunt up in Nampa,Id., and spent a day and night up on Bald Mountain. The temp dropped down to about 30 and it was comfortable!

[charliex]

What I find interesting is that in the spring when the temps get up to 40 I'm comfortable in a long sleeve shirt but in the fall when the temps drop to 40 I need a jacket.
Speaking of humidity, I currently have about two feet of the stuff on the ground in my yard.

[gsmittle]

I all depends on your perspective. When I was going to grad school in Austin (hook 'em Horns!) a female friend from much farther north told me that she was walking to class that morning (temp around 40° and sunny in February) in a flannel shirt when she passed a guy in a huge Army field jacket, with the hood pulled up and almost completely closed in the front, mittens, scarf, the whole bit.

She said, "Good morning, isn't it a beautiful morning?" and the dude replied, "Yankee b***h!"

I rode my bike to school that day wearing shorts and a hoodie. Of course I was much younger and had WAY more energy.

g.

[Bruce Cohen]

I really hate the winter

Snow, Oh Beautiful Snow!

Well here's two reasons to hate living in the North (actually three, but the last one's too political for this site).

Years ago, I lived in Chicago for one winter, the average temperature was -10 deg. and the natives kept saying how mild that winter was. I also had a friend who was teaching at the Univ. of Wisc. at the time. He used to come down to Chicago to "warm up". And he always asked me why I didn't take the time to visit him.

The city placed ropes on certain street corners to keep you from being blown into the street from the sidewalk. Now ain't that novel?

The second reason is that currently I have a major league broken ankle from slipping on "Black Ice". Does anyone know if I can get snowshoe attachments for my crutches? I've also discovered why crutches are now made of aluminum, wood burns!.

Although, It would be nifty to construct a pair out of Rosewood or Ebony, might as well be stylishly uncomfortable.

Saw the Ortho Doct. yesterday, and smiling he said "Well only six more weeks until the cast comes off and then another four afterward until we can remove SOME of the metal. Bet it don't hurt him one bit.

So if anyone knows of an affordable shack or culvert I can live and work in in a warm climate, please let me know.

Anywhere except for SE Asia.

Bruce

BTW, Happy Effing winter to all.

[radhak]

Snow, Oh Beautiful Snow!
________________________________________
December 8th:
...
I'm moving back south!

That is one of the most hilarious pieces I know of - have read it before, but still, by the time I get to the last part I am stifling with laughter.

Have lived in Minneapolis before, but still temperatures in the low 30s seem uncomfortable here.


Of course, there's nothing here to compare with when it went to -15 (Fahrenheit!) there !
There's cold, then there's COLD.

[BobSch]

Fifteen below this morning but not much wind so wind chill isn't a factor. Not that it makes much difference--I'm not going out in it!