First Snow in the Lou

Unlike a lot of people living in the Midwest, I absolutely LOVE SNOW. However, after living in Saint Louis for over two years, my winters have been bleak, as snow is rare in this area. Not to mention I have to sit hear and listen to the reports of record snowfalls that my friends and family are enjoying on a weekly basis back home.

So you can imagine how tickled I was when I heard that we were about to receive our first snow accumulation of the winter this week. We were expected to receive a few inches overnight last night, and then another system would come through later today, bringing with it more snow, potentially mixed with ice. Unfortunately, Missourians do not handle snow on the roads very well, so I knew that I had to get an early start in the morning if I wanted to avoid some of the morning rush hour traffic that is already normally crazy. Which meant I had to go to bed earlier than my normal 9:30 bedtime.

I was like a kid on Christmas Eve.

I awoke to a beautiful blanket of snow covering the Southwest Garden Neighborhood. Light from the street lamps bounced off the flakes, and it was silent as I crunched through the fresh, unshoveled snow. My favorite part of winter...I wish I had time to shovel the sidewalk, as I really enjoy doing that. I think partly because I'm such a perfectionist, I love making my sidewalk the clearest on the block. Guess I'll have to do that after work....I started the car and brushed off the 3-inch accumulation from my windshield and hood. After running back in to get my things for work, I was off. Pulling away from the curb, I tested the breaks to see how slick the unplowed road was. I totally fish-tailed and loved it. I let out a little squeal as I continued down the road and off to work.

Like I mentioned before, Missouri drivers don't handle snow well, and both the morning and evening commutes were just as I expected; crazy guys in big trucks flying past at inappropriate speeds and slow wussy drivers, afraid they might go off the road. No one in the middle but me. Oh well! I'm patient, so it's all good.

And when I got home, I got to shovel. Boy, did I shovel!

As I look outside right now, I see that another inch or two has fallen since I did my duty outside. Most would be upset that they'll have to shovel again in the morning. Not me. I can't wait.

Ahh, life is good.