Snow Season
- navakallc
- Feb 15
- 3 min read
A week off of school in February, and that was not even our midwinter break. A welcome surprise greeted us this past week, with the trees, roads and rooftops covered in snow. It was something all of us, especially students, were really looking forward to. Nobody expected such a large amount of snow, as the weather forecast for flurries with 60% chances of snow was common in the months of January and February and wasn’t something we anticipated about too much. The Sunday before, people were so excited by the first flurries that greeted us that season, immediately rushing out for a car ride in the swirling flakes all around us.
Soon, we had the Monday with a two-hour late start. Every time it snows in our area, the district determines all the parts of the area the district covers to come to one of three conclusions; 1. There is enough snow, and school can continue as normal; 2. There’s icy conditions but not as dangerous so school can still function better when it’s light out, hence the 2 hour late start (pushing our school from starting at 8am to 10am; 3. Too much snow and ice to drive or walk at all, hence school is cancelled. Over the past week we have only gone to school for a total of 9 hours instead of 32.5 hours. We had two late starts and three days of no school.
It's a magical feeling, being home from school on a school day, the world suddenly quiet and the swirling snow the only sound outside. It makes my dream of a freshly powdered white landscape come true. If the snowflakes have just started drifting down as you sleep, it’s a complete and total surprise to see the world covered in the morning. The trees are glistening with the white powder, the untouched snow on our grass and driveway looking like a blanket of clouds. The soft footsteps on the sidewalk belonging to people heading outside to enjoy the snow, each footprint eager to make new memories with the snow this year. It’s like the snow has wrapped us up in a sweet caress. It envelopes around us as the cold dry air hits our faces, lifting us out of a trance, away from our regular routine. It’s a breath I didn’t know I was holding, suddenly breathing out making me feel better.
The world is quiet, and so is my head, constant thoughts not racing with time, trying to get everything done. There are numerous things I love to do when it snows, a mental bucket list already formed in my head. One of the first and best things is making a snowman with my family in our backyard, complete with a carrot for a nose and sticks for the hands. We make it on our fireplace each year after we moved here, lasting for quite a while, even after the snow has melted off the rooftops. I also make snow angels, falling swiftly backwards in the fresh powder, spreading my arms and legs and staring at the sky. The bright sunny day after each snowfall is something of a dream, with the sun making the snow sparkle like diamonds on the rooftops.
One of my favorite things to do is also go sledding and have a snowball fight with friends. All of us gathered together, pelting each other with snowballs, aiming for the backs of jackets so there’s a chance for the snow to slide down their backs, making them shiver and jump around. There’s a park not too far from my house, where I go sledding each year. It’s thrilling to go down a steep hill, small bumps in the path sending me and my sled flying into the air, stomach doing a summersault.
Now, even though the snowfall is over, the temperature is still frigid, causing the snow to hold its place in even the tiniest sliver of shade it receives. My home gets the full blast of the sunny sky, causing all of our snow to melt, but on the opposite lane the snow won’t budge, still commencing to look like a winter wonderland. If you look from far away, it feels like the street is the only thing separating a winter location from a summer one. It’s one of my favorite seasons, the sunny sky a blessing even in the frigid temperatures.
