Growing up in Los Angeles, snow wasn't a big part of my life. The only experience with snow that I remember from my childhood was my parents driving us to the mountains to play in the snow. We were so excited and had big plans for hours of frivolity and snowman-making. When we arrived, we eagerly scrambled out of the car in pursuit of winter's delights. We probably lasted 30 minutes. Soon we were back in the car, stripping off our wet clothing, rubbing our raw, numb hands, howling for more heat, and vowing never to go back. My parents were both perplexed and amused at our about-face. In all our imagining, I think we somehow had missed the concept of snow being cold.
My next encounter with snow didn't happen until I was 14-years-old. I joined my uncle's youth group on a ski trip. I was really excited to learn how to ski, and fly down the slopes with grace and ease. Well, despite a ski lesson, I spent most of the day, face-planted in the snow, and never did master the bunny hill. I would fly down it, uncontrollably, and people all around me would scream, "stop" and the only way I could stop was to fall over. My uncle took pity on me, and taught me to snow plow, but it still wasn't much fun. Especially, when I'd fall over in line, or coming off the ski lift, and wouldn't be able to get up again without help.
I prefer to enjoy snow, from an indoor window, or curled up next to a fireplace. This So.Cal girl never got used to the undeniable. fact that snow is cold.
MUM
Snow in the olden days ..... of my youth you ask... hmm. Never enough snow to stop our world from carrying on..
- It was in the days before snow tires.. but then there weren't as many tires on the road !
- It was in the days. of ''carry on'' rain or shine (or snow)though our city didn't have a snow plow
- It was in the days.. where we had a little more snow than Victoria now has... (with one exception) we really had more slush than snow ..it was so often mixed with or diluted by rain..
- It was in the days.. when everyone who had to commute on such days turned to the buses and that seemed to handle the intrusion snow made into our winter lives..
- It was day that we always hoped for a white Christmas.. but that was rare rare rare.. and if snow did come in December.. and we held out hope..for it staying till Christmas.... it didn't ! as rain also came in December and that was the end of snow..
It was a time when big brothers threatened little sisters..- It was a day when i had red woollen legging that matched my hooded coat and i delighted in making snow angels. without fear of really touching the cold of the wet clumpy sticking snow..It wasn't a snow that you could brush off
- It was a climate of wet snow that rolled well into snow balls huge for snow men
- It was a day when we actually had coal from our basement bin.. for the snowmans eyes!
- It was in a day when we first heard the song of frosty the snowman. published in 1950 .
I was 8. - It was in a day of Bing Crosbys winter wonderland.song .. that always increased our our hope for a snowy winter. ( Bing was born in Tacoma! and sang I'm dreaming of a white Christmas) in 1954.. I was 12.
- It was a day when it was an exciting opportunity to shovel side walks with wooden homemade shovels
- It was a day before the days of rubbermaid or plastic.. and for the few times shoveling was necessary.. no one would''purchase'' a shovel ( if they were even for sale). the dads would just quickly make one in the basement
- It was a day when people walked to the store for groceries every few days and usually pushed babies or toddlers in buggies or prams.. but what fun it was in snow times.. to be taken on a sled..
- It was a day when you always walked to school.. (up Hampshire Hill both ways,) and it took much longer in the snow.. we walked home for lunch always,.. but on snow days we got to take our lunch ! now that was special !
And the worst thing that could happen would be that you were sick (in bed) with a cold and only saw the snow through a window ! and had the real fear that it would likely be gone before you were allowed out! just such a time happened to me.. Now that's a memory of a sad lost opportunity of a childhood.
JILL
wet cold snow, down my neck, and down my sleeves, being pelted with hard ice snowballs by older brothers and their friends, being the younger sister, i didnt have a fighting chance, suffocating ' face washes' where you are choking for air.
in yet. like everyone else, i too felt the joyous anticipation and hopes for knee deep snow as the first flakes would turn to flurries outside the classroom windows, turning even high school students into giddy children at the sight of the white stuff. i recall checking out the windows at night and finally seeing the white flecks blowing about in the light cast by the street lights. i remember feeling that excitement for the next day of a world in white ,and hopes of school closures and snow angels and igloos.
but more often than not, the reality was the contrary. these visions were swiftly dashed . usually the snow had turned to rain, and there was nothing but dirty slushy mess , splashing up by passing cars on the long walk to school,and stepping off the curb to cross the street and that seemingly harmless bit of snow would easily give way, to the pool of water underneath, sinking just deep enough to spill icy cold water down inside the boots. cold wet feet for the duration of the day.. a particularly unpleasant situation if one had been coached to wear cozy leotards. resulting in removing the wet stockings, and spending the day in bare legs with the mini dress style at the time, perched on the cold desk chair.
ohh the memories..
and i havent even brought up the wet mitten saga, and the restricting tangled string threaded though the sleeves of my stiff and bulky winter coat, all in the name of keeping the mittens from becoming lost from each other, what a magical invention! and so comfortable , especially when trying to ride a bike , with arms extended to as far as the strings would allow.... memories... and of course the static cling that always accompanies winter, magnified by knitted touques and long hair..
i do recall, some snow men over the years, getting creative with gender and accessories, and hoping that it wouldnt be completely melted by the morning or the end of the day. and usually, if it was ever cold enough to not melt, some mean kids would knock it down in the night.
with all this said, i still feel giddy inside when i see the first flurries, besides it has been a long time since someone tried to give me a face wash!
i forgot to mention, shoveling stairs, walkways, paths, it was fun at first, but when it would get so hot inside the stiff bulky winter coat, it was less fun,, and when that was done there was always other peoples driveways and walkways to clear, to do the good Samaritan act, for the older folks on the street. but the warmth felt in the heart was usually worth the temporary discomfort of the stiff bulky winter coat and the wet mittens..besides there was often hot chocolate waiting inside with toasted raisin english muffins.
CHANNA
follow this link to Channa's blog about Snow...
NOVA
Snow wasn't a big part of growing up in Victoria and even less so a part of living in Texas. Nothing that would have prepared me for the snow that I would experience later in life, first in Idaho at Ricks, then in Wyoming at the ranch, and also in SLC. But there were still some memories of snow filled moments in my childhood.
I know we must have had enough snow to create a few snowman over the years.... of course all the snow in the yard was likely used with grass showing all around the snowman. Snow never seemed to last more than a few days if it lasted that long.
I know one time that older siblings and parents?? were up later than the little kids when it must have started to snow and they built a snowman and then woke us to let us see it in case it was gone by morning.
I know that in highschool it began to snow one day which was a surprise to us since I had ridden my bike to school and then had to ride home in the snowy slush. Snow was always VERY WET.
It wasn't until my years in the ID, WY, UT snow that I learned that there are different types of snows. Also that snow could be fluffy and that it wasn't always bitterly, bone chillingly cold just because there was snow outside... although it certainly can be. In Victoria snow always came with the bone chilling cold. Or should I say that there was a bone chilling cold in Victoria and that sometimes it even snowed.
I don't ever remember sledding but I do remember as a young teen going on a skiing trip with John and Jim. It didn't take long to know that I enjoy sipping hot chocolate and waiting by the fire in the lodge for those who have the knack for moving too quickly down a snow packed mountain on two skinny pieces of fiberglass and plastic... To this day I dislike ski lifts... especially in the summer time when there isn't many feet of snow to bring the ground level a little closer... (we took on the alpine slide in Park City and to my chagrin.... the only way up was the ski lift)but I digress...
Childhood snow although not frequent or deep was exciting to anticipate and to enjoy regardless of how quickly it melted away!
EDEN
I remember snow in Texas once or twice. nothing that stuck, but I remember the light flurries in the wind.
I remember the way the tree house looked with 5 inches on it's roof. and the pool with a layer of white
I remember the blizzard of '96 with snow drifts 4 ft deep between the trailer and the container.
I remember face washes
I remember all the work involved in getting ready to go out, only to be too hot and have cold wet hands. I remember all kinds of snow, crisp light morning snow and than slushy dirty afternoon snow.
JOHN
Snow!
JOHN
Snow!
I remember a snow so deep that we dugg tunnels in it! I remember walking in the Snow to Grandma's house for Lunch! It can remember being so grown up sitting in the Living Room drinking hot chocolate in the same cups and Grandma and Granpa drank their tea! I remember the first snow we saw was in Prescot Arizon on the top of a mountain! I also remember thinking if it is so cold on the top of a mountain while it was so hot down below where we lived the whole thing about burning in hell must be true. It must be very hot! But, I don't want to go to heaven because it would be so cold! I sort of remember asking if we wore jackets in Heaven and the answer that came back was no White Robes! I just figured at that time that they must made of fur!
It is strange that these things stay with you!
