It has finally snowed here in St. Louis for the first time this winter. In my opinion, we've been freakishly lucky to have avoided these delicate little jerks that we call snowflakes for as long as we have. Nevertheless, here they are, coating our streets and cars and the grass that was freshly mowed on Monday. Seriously, when was the last time there was a need to mow grass in January in Missouri? So let's discuss the pros and cons of winter wonderland weather.
Pro: Snow Days! What kid does not love having a spontaneous day off from school? (Nerds probably don't but they can just as easily read a book or do geometry problems while sitting on a sled, right?) I remember the anticipation the night before, watching the postings of the called-off schools on Channel 5 while my Mom watched the news. The waiting game was a killer but oh, how sweet it was when you saw your school on the list. At the same time, it was fairly soul-crushing when every other school in the country seemed to be off except yours.
Con: Snow Days! I've gathered that some parents do not like when their kids have spontaneous days off school.
Pro: Making snow angels. I love making snow angels. I'm not really sure why. There's just something fun about waving your arms and legs around in the snow. The problem though, is standing up without ruining the angel. How do you do that? The perfectionist in me doesn't want there to be footsteps messing up the whole thing up. You pretty much have to levitate out of the snow angel position and float yourself to a spot a few feet away to admire your work. That's fine and all, but it's an awful lot of work.
Con: Wet shoes/boots. Is there a more uncomfortable feeling than snow soaking through your shoes/boots, freezing your foot off? And then if you are not prepared, you have to wear those same shoes and socks all day long. It's squishy and gross. Today, I was prepared. Although there really wasn't that much snow on the ground, I wore an older pair of boots outside and changed into newer boots when I got to work. To be fair though, I really wasn't thinking about the logistics of keeping my feet warm and dry. I just didn't want my newer boots to get gross. I'm protective over my shoes. They are like children to me, much like my cat except that my boots don't bite me if I don't pay attention to them.
Pro: Making Snowmen. I'm putting this under pro because it always sounds like a good time and it is for the most part. But sometimes, if it hasn't snowed enough, it starts to become a lot of work to gather up the necessary snow to finish your project. Plus, Frosty gets you in trouble with traffic cops ("He led them down the streets of town, right to the traffic cop. He only paused a moment when he heard him holler "Stop!"") Lastly, it's kind of sad when a few days later, all you see is the melting corpse of a man... a carrot and a scarf, lying on top of an unidentifiable mound of snow.
Con: Driving in snow. Augghhh! There is nothing I hate more than driving in snow and ice. I've definitely gotten better at it though. For the first 10 years of my driving life, I pretty much hyperventilated and went semi-catatonic at the thought of driving in it. Nowadays, I still hate it but I can at least breathe and function like a normal human being. The biggest obstacle for me is that in the city, evidently there does not exist such a thing as snow plows. The streets of Soulard remain largely untouched.
Pro: It's so pretty and sparkly and white.
Con: This sparkly white blanket blinds you when the sun shines on it.
Pro: Sledding!
Con: Sledding into traffic on accident! True story.
I'm not sure if this next one is a pro or con. It's a Neutral. When we were little, my mom would make us "ice cream" out of fresh snow. I'm pretty sure the recipe was just snow, sugar and vanilla. The memory of this is so nice so that's pro. But I'm imagining what this must have tasted like and that's a con. It's sounds quite awful.
I think when I get home tonight, I'm going to let Fish walk in the snow for a few moments. He likes to poke his head outside and I never let him out because he's an indoor cat. But I like to let him tap his paw at the snow because it makes me laugh. I can practically see the confusion on his face while he figures out if this white stuff is friend or foe. He usually decides foe and runs back inside and hides under the bed. Definition of scaredy cat.
Peas and love to all my snow angels,
Erica
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