- The traffic noise of a Friday night is nearly gone. Black whirring tires are softened by white snow falling neatly over the roadway. I am glad for the quiet. Grateful for the space to think and slough off the day.
- Before visiting Ravenna, Michigan, over Christmas vacation in the late '70s, I had never been in the snow for more than a couple of hours. The mountains east of San Diego only occasionally got enough snow to prompt a Sunday drive to play in the icy stuff. Us kids wore denim jeans and thought we were set because we had gloves, too! Ours parents sat nearby on a stump or picnic bench, avoiding getting wet themselves. The Western Michigan town of my extended family was tiny by comparison to the city I roamed. About a thousand residents. Ravenna was quiet no matter what time of year a person visited. And so, until I moved to the Northwest as an adult, I had no idea about the silence that befalls a city in a snowstorm.
- Snowblowers were new to me, too, my first winter in Spokane, Washington. They aren't very quiet, those sort-of-lawn-mower-looking contraptions. I prefer shoveling. Even after 20 winters of clearing snow, shoveling still feels like playing to me. It's quiet, all my muscles get put to use, and the perfect canvas for a snow angel is often just waiting for the right artist to brush her arms and legs across its crisp white surface.
- Before visiting Ravenna, Michigan, over Christmas vacation in the late '70s, I had never been in the snow for more than a couple of hours. The mountains east of San Diego only occasionally got enough snow to prompt a Sunday drive to play in the icy stuff. Us kids wore denim jeans and thought we were set because we had gloves, too! Ours parents sat nearby on a stump or picnic bench, avoiding getting wet themselves. The Western Michigan town of my extended family was tiny by comparison to the city I roamed. About a thousand residents. Ravenna was quiet no matter what time of year a person visited. And so, until I moved to the Northwest as an adult, I had no idea about the silence that befalls a city in a snowstorm.
Comments
Post a Comment