Just like in the opening paragraphs of Ryan's Legend, we are about to have our first big snow storm of this part of 2013. We've had some slam bam storms way back in January and Feburary of this year, so we can't really call this the first big storm for the year, but it feels like it after some 'Lazy Hazy Crazy days of Summer', to coin one of my favorite songs by Nat King Cole.
For some folks who may read this, like some of my friends in South Africa, for example, the concept of snow is foreign to them. People in the tropical climates can't wait for a good rain shower, for instance, because they need rain after many days of very hot sun. For us in the northern climates, our big weather makers are huge rain storms in the summer, and snow storms in the winter. How big is big? Well for me a big rainstorm is more than 40mm. A big snow storm, because snow is so much worse to travel in, would be anything over 10cm. As I write this today, we are expecting 20-30 cm of snow, which for some will mean the first time to get the snowmobile out of mothballs,or wax up those skis. For others, well it may be the start to a terrible time as this snowstorm will likely cause traffic accidents, as every snowstorm does. And for others like me, it will be an opportunity to stoke the fire and maybe catch up on some writing, reading, or just pure unadulterated laziness, dreaming of those days of 'soda and pretzels and beer'.