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We'd love some snow--the pretty snow that doesn't cost life or limb Date published: 1/19/2007
Snow.
Softly falling flakes, muffling everyday noise, draping ordinary objects in mystery. Hiding all the mess and grime. Making the world new. Where is it? Forget talk of tantalizing flurries and messy mixes. Forecasters say we may have a dusting today. But the kind of snow we're looking for has to be at least 4 inches deep. They have snow to the south of us, snow to the north of us, snow to the west of us. Where's ours? Quickly now, let us assure you that we understand the concept of too much snow. Snow that makes driving hazardous, if not fatal, snow that topples trees and cuts off electricity, snow that tests survival tactics. What we want is just enough snow. Enough to make it pretty outside. Enough to justify staying home from work. Enough for a cozy fire in the fireplace, and a bubbling pot of stew or soup on the back burner. Remember? You dress in the comfy old shirt and L.L.Bean corduroys, warm wooly socks and slippers. You make a mug of cocoa and stand, looking out the window at the drifting whiteness, while you sip the warm, rich brew. You pull that turkey soup you made after Thanksgiving out of the freezer and set it to simmering on the stove. You find that book you've been meaning to read since Christmas and snuggle down with some blankets in the chair by the fireplace. With luck, you have a dog to lay his head across your feet. No schedules to meet, no tasks to complete. Contentment. So where is it? Surely Missouri and Oklahoma would be willing to share. We're already halfway through January and the daffodils are poking up out of the ground. "The biggest historical snowstorms around here have been in late January and February," warned meteorologist Steve Rogowski at the National Weather Service in Sterling. He said the lack of snow so far is all the baby's fault--you know, El Niño. Higher than normal water temperatures in the Pacific shift the high-level wind patterns and that plays 10-pins with the surface weather. But, "There's still a lot of winter to go," Rogowski said. "We're not out of the woods yet." Can't you just smell that cocoa? To reach LUCIA ANDERSON:
Date published: 1/19/2007
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