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Winter Wonderland
Here’s what I woke up to this morning: a pristine white landscape.
My lilac tree bowing under the weight of the snow. And there’s a lot of fresh, crisp, snow! I’m rooting for a white Christmas, but with our luck it’ll have turned into sleet and mud by then.
Snow so dense I could barely open my son’s bedroom window to take a photo. See how small the houses are here? Well, those are actually sheds but the houses are all adjoined.
Aside from being pretty, the snow is also causing major trouble already. Traffic jams. Cancelled flights. Busses that stop riding leaving people stranded at cold bus stations. Train traffic that shuts down completely. All from one snowfall.
Roary—as J-man calls his little red tractor—has no problems taking a little snow. His only problem is a missing headlight. And a kid who’s rapidly becoming too tall to ride him but who isn’t willing to let go just yet.
It feels like we’re the only country in the world where all traffic goes to hell the moment the flurries start to fall.
Is it, really? Do people in, say, Chicago have this much trouble as well after the first snow starts to fall? Why don’t I remember a little snow causing this much problems when I was growing up?
I can safely say I foresee a lot of soul-warming splitpea soup in my near future.
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Where do you live – we get snow like that every winter but unfortunately where I live in Canada – we will most likely have a white Christmas?
@Sheila:
I’m in the Netherlands!
Snow, snow, snow!
Everywhere snow where I live! Last week 80 cm in 2 days. Trains still riding, at 5 in the morning the newspaper on the doormat and warm buns in the breadbox in front of the house. Everybody has wintertyres and special equipment to drive in heavy snow ( sneeuwkettingen) and that uphill! What? Upmountain!!
But when it goes on the army and the firebrigade come and help people to free their flat roofs from snow, especially supermarkets and sportdomes have difficulties then.That’s why we are obliged to have food and drink in the house for at least a week!
Picture Perfect. That is all I can say.
On another note, here in Texas, traffic goes to hell if it so much as drizzles. It will be a world catastrophe if it ever snowed here….
I live in the Memphis area. Just with 1 cm of snow, people don’t know how to drive here. And the schools will be closed for that day. When we just moved here my kids were excited to hear that the next day would bring snow,and that the schools would be closed. Mind you we had just moved here from Germany (Grafenwoehr) lots of snow there. What a disapointment it was when they woke up and see 1 cm of snow, if that much.
Well, let me tell you that Ile de France is a hell when it snows… last week there was a lot and traffic was impossible, people abandoned their cars or had to stay overnight in their cars, sport halls were transformed in shelters, airports closed, etc. It was a mess, I was 12 km away from home and it took me 5 hours to reach home (and I parked the car and walked the last 3 kms home), quite an experience I must say… and you know what? On french TV they look up to countries like Austria, Germany and yes they even mentioned the Netherlands as a country where life just continues as normal, also when there’s snow… can you imagine?
Anyway, hope you enjoy the view & the split pea soup… I made it last week too after all the hussle!
Bisous from Versailles,
Chantal
Well…. no snow here this Christmas. Startling news really – our average temp at the moment is 34 degrees CENTIGRADE with about 75% humidity. I dream of snow. I would totally put up with the traffic!
:-)
BB
I’ve lived in the southern US my entire life, and the mere MENTION of snow causes panic. School is cancelled. Grocery stores run out of milk and bread. People have snow related accidents before a flake has fallen. I stay home and cook.
I’m in Nova Scotia, and we actually haven’t had much snow yet this season (knock on wood). Some might think it’s depressing, but I am TOTALLY okay with a green Christmas! It makes for much easier travel for sure.
But we can handle quite a bit of snow before they even think about closing schools. The first time I ever drove by myself was in a blizzard! It’s just our way of life, haha.
Now my cousin and his wife just moved to Panama City, Florida… apparently the other day it was just at the freezing point and schools were allowing weather passes if parents didn’t want to send their kids in such cold weather!
I’m from the northern US. I grew up in Wisconsin, have lived in Nebraska, and am now in northern Indiana. Up here, the first snow of the season might slow us down a little, until everyone remembers how to drive in the snow, but things quickly go right back to normal. When I learned to drive (in the winter) my dad made me practice spiraling out of control in a parking lot and correcting it. All in all, the snow doesn’t change much besides forcing me out extra early in the morning to dig out my car and make it to work on time. (By the way, it has been snowing for almost 2 weeks straight and I LOVE it!)
Ah!! Peasoup!!! Yèsss! And I’m also looking forward to the delivery of a parcel from http://www.typicaldutchstuff.com. They send fresh boerenkool and Hemaworst! And oliebollen !Enjoy winter!!!
Snow in Seattle turns rapidly to ice, and Black Ice is common on roads, plus steep and abrupt hillsides … the town shuts down with just an inch of snow. Couple weeks ago, an afternoon snowfall meant a normal hour-long drive home from work turned into 10+ hours for some people! (One of the few days I appreciated being unemployed and at home on the couch!)
@Urgje:
Had no idea there was such a huge request for those typical Dutch food items. I should’ve attached a Dutch webstore to the website :)
Here in Detroit the first snow is the worst and we got that last Sunday. 6″ Schools were closed Mon. because it came during the evening. Roads were icy and the idiots were out. Why is it that just because someone drives a huge truck or SUV they think they won’t spin out?
Your pics are beautiful as alway Kay.
Love the last one.
We, in Washington DC, also just had our first accumulating snow yesterday, and everything fell apart here as well. The Washington Post newspaper reports that the snow “…caused scores of fender benders…and cut short work and school days.” I’m like you. I don’t remember this kind of chaos when I was a kid. Am I just remembering snowy days through the rose-colored glasses of childhood? Regardless, I’m comforted to know that other cities also lose their minds when it snows. :-)
I’m so jealous of the snow! My cousins keep telling me that they hate the snow already, but in Nebraska, we’ve only gotten a dusting of snow this year. I’m really hoping for a white Christmas too!
Kay, your pictures are lovely! I live in Boston, and I’ll admit we like to laugh a little at places where it’s warm and who freak out at the sight of a flake. Here, you have to have more than 12 inches before people even contemplate staying indoors and even then…
We’re expecting our first snow this weekend. I hope we have at least a little, I’d love a white Christmas.
Mmm, split pea soup! One of my favorites. I have vacation between Christmas and New Year’s and I’ve decided that I’m going to spend that week making all different kinds of soups and freezing them for the rest of winter!
I live in Chicago and we have no problems with the snow here. We just had a really bad snowstorm last weekend and people were advised to stay at home but public transportation still went as normal.
I lived in the Netherlands for 7 years though, so I know what kind of impact weather has there. I used to work in Voorschoten in lived in Delft and as soon as there was a bit of wind or a snowflake no trains stopped in Voorschoten anymore. So many times spent trying to get home from work via train/tram/getting a ride somewhere …
My best friend still lives in Amsterdam and is actually stuck at her work. I hope she gets home somehow.
I have lived in America- both South and North. In the North it takes two days to remember the tricks of snow driving. In the South, they just dont understand the nuances of winter driving. That said, they do not have all the salt trucks and plows either. So I cant really blame them.
Lovely!!
I’m waiting for the next snowfall in the Olympia (Washington) area. We had a little (very little) a few weeks ago. I love it but many dread it.
Wishing (and waiting) for a white Christmas!!
Wow Kay beautiful shots! Enjoy the snow for now, hope you dig out soon!
I live in way Northern California in some extremely rugged mountains.
When we get snowed in, we can’t leave the county because the passes
close down.
What I remember about living in Chicago was how the snow was soon blackened by soot and frozen over. I slipped and fell alot. Got a
permanent injury, there.
Pea soup sounds perfect!