Snowy Town

When I posted on Facebook this morning that I kept thinking I needed to stock up before the snowstorm and reminding myself that I live in Florida, one of my friends asked if I miss it. Truly I've experienced enough snow -- and everything that goes along with it -- to last a lifetime. I spent the first thirty-eight years of my life living where it snowed, sometimes trapping me inside for days. For the last twenty-five years I lived up north, I lived in the mountains. We always had more snow than in town, and it always lasted longer. I can remember years when the first snow came in November and the roads were covered, with either snow or ice, until April. Our roads were, for most of the time I lived there, privately maintained. This meant that they really weren't maintained at all. We had well water, and if/when the temperature dropped low enough, the pipes would freeze. Often the electricity went off, leaving us with no source of heat other than the kerosene heater that was standard in most homes in the area. When the power went out long enough (more than just for a few hours), we would drag a mattress into the living room and all sleep on it near the heater. When the roads were finally plowed, they would still be a slippery mess.

As I write this, a blizzard is hitting my old stomping grounds. I have my backdoor open and am on the verge of turning on my air conditioner. The temperature is around 70. However, it is supposed to drop rapidly throughout this afternoon and evening; tomorrow's high is forecast to be in the 40s and on Sunday it won't get out of the 30s. We even have a slight chance of flurries or a dusting! I much prefer 70 and sunny to 30 and snowing, but I still find myself slightly nostalgic for the beauty of it all. (Unlike people who have never lived where it snows, I know that it's beautiful only for the first day or so.) Below I've attached a link to a site with a webcam that shows the closest town to where I used to live. The town is always charming, old and mostly well-kept, but look how pretty it is! I like being able to peek, but I'm happy not to be in the middle of it.

http://www.your4state.com/weather/bct