Snow

In honor of all the snow on the ground (which all the natives tell me is quite early for this time of year), I have decided to comprise a list of all the things I did and did not know about snow. Brace yourselves.

Things I did know:
* it is cold
* you can ski on it
* it is white
* you can build snowmen
* you can have snowball fights
*Beware the yellow snow

Things I did NOT know:
* Snowflakes are actually quite small
* It is LOUD when it slides off of buildings in big clumps
* There is such thing as too little snow to sled on
* A blizzard would actually be quite dangerous, because EVERYTHING would be white
* Snow can sometimes fall, but not stick... for an hour or so
* Snow can get dirty quite quickly... then it just looks like mud
* Snow sparkles when it falls
* It also sparkles when it lays on the ground
* It does, in fact, ACTUALLY look like you are in a snow globe.... fascinating
* It wreaks havoc on drivers attempting to go uphill, particularly on a one way street
* It turns into blocks of hard, hard ice
* It hurts when it goes into your eye
* But it tastes good
* You can not wear rain boots in the snow, because the rubber seems to conduct cold rather than heat, leaving your toes freezing and possibly up for frostbite
* Cats like to play in snow
* And people still walk their dogs in the snow, but put doggy jackets on them!


All of this leads me up to my point, which is this: snow is best enjoyed inside, possibly by the fire, maybe even viewed on television, with the exception of an occasional sleigh ride.

Which means that from now on, I'd like to live at the 40th parallel N or south of it, or the 40th parallel S and north of it... and nowhere higher than 5,000 ft in altitude. Thus avoiding living in snow... Perhaps we should include coastlines as well?

Don't get me wrong, it's great to look at. As far as precipitation goes, it pretty fun to watch, just like rain. But going out in it? Dressing for it? Shoveling it? Starting, driving, and otherwise maneuvering your car in it? Forget it. It's such a hassle.... and did I mention COLD?