snnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooow

I've been living here in Mississippi for nine years now and this is the most snow I've seen here! Sure, we've had snowfall, flurries, etc. But it usually doesn't stick, or amount to any coverage. And if it does stick, it starts to melt as soon as the sun comes up. Within an hour or two, it's gone. Then, it's just a very wet and usually not so cold mess.

But yesterday, the conditions had been just right for the snow that fell to stay, at least most of it that is, until today. It wasn't alot by any standard outside of the south, but it was enough for most everything to shut down.

And with good reason. We don't receive enough snow, sleet, ice to warrant fully~support wintry highway clearing equipment. In a state that is already strapped for cash and doesn't have a very good tax~base, it makes little to no sense to throw money into a program that would get used perhaps twice per year {sleet/ice}.

No, here in Mississippi, we count on the sun to do the job for us. But in last night and today's case, the sun alone couldn't clear the roads. Oh sure, the highways are clear now, for tomorrow's work/school. But today, most organizations did the smart thing: close.

See, we don't need a bunch of overconfident drivers on the road who have no idea what to do when they hit a patch of ice in with their bald tires. Most folks here drive on their tires until steel shows thru, blows~outs occur, or too many flats leave the tire unsalvageable. Driving on ice is a non~issue, so traction seems to take a low priority for most Mississippians.

I enjoyed the hush of the snow while it fell into a thin cover. I enjoyed the crunch of several inches of snow and ice underfoot while I ventured out to take a few pix last night. I enjoyed having the extra day with my husband.

But I'm glad it's all but gone on the roads and scant elsewhere. And I don't miss the snow at all. Having spent the first quarter of a century of my life in Pennsylvania where blizzards regularly led to the governor declaring a State of Emergency, where snowdays ate away at the school year so much so that my junior high didn't get out til July one year, where sidewalks must be shoveled and cars dug out, and where snow gets so old and hard and ugly; I know the pitfalls to snow, as well as the beauty and fun of playing in it.

So this lil bit of snow we've had is just fine, thank you. I'll take it while it lasts. Then it's good riddance.