It snowed!

It’s snowing! I say excitedly. But I always get the same response here in Minnesota. A sort of condescending puzzled look, like I just fell off the turnip truck or something. It’s just a few flakes and it is November, so clearly it’s not surprising. Most of my childhood was spent in warmer climates: Richmond Virginia, Birmingham Alabama. But even in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the chances of getting a snow day which meant missing school and walking over to the golf course for sledding or tubing were pretty good, even if there was only a small amount of snow on the ground. I will always associate the first snow of the season with that excitement of a surprise vacation from school and a chance to spend a few hours outdoors with my friends, often this was followed by hot chocolate or maybe a fire in the fireplace. Apparently here in Minnesota, the first snow of the season doesn’t have these same connotations. Still, I can’t help myself, I always ask, trying to sound casual, Did you notice it was snowing this morning?  Usually, the response is a simple “no”. No one cares about the first bits of flakes in the air, they don’t even get excited when it  starts sticking and the trees look like the photo above.  I’m sure we’ll have snow that sticks by Christmas.  I’ll be happy and excited that first day.  Of course, by March, I’ll just be sick and tired of the dirty nasty stuff.