SNOW

Yesterday it snowed from the time the sun came up to sun down. They say 15 cm fell, but my car looks like it was even more. I love snow. My daughter loves snow. Every kid at the bus stop loves snow. It's like Christmas toys. From the time the snow comes to when it leaves, you never have to entertain a kid. Just make sure they have their snow pants on when you go out, and they fall down on their knees and play until you call them in, usually not on the first try!

In 24 hours, we have had three of my favourite types of snow.

The first was what I call fake snow. I really could call it "glitter snow". It was light and fluffy and covers like the synthetic snow you can buy to decorate indoors. The glitter snow layered like "White Christmas" snow, as I always imagine Vermont would look, piling up on rooftops and boughs of evergreens, and covering cars. By the end of the day, my daughter could hardly find her toboggan that she had filled with snow for posterity!

By sunset, the snow was becoming granular. This even my daughter recognized as "white sugar" snow.  This is not to be confused with "brown sugar snow" which is much more common, and not actually a snow. It's a combination of sand blown on the streets for traction, or dirt from exposed  snow.  Which reminds my of the most infamous kind of combination snow, known as yellow snow. (I think that one is well known, and deserves no explicit explanation.)

This morning, the ground was covered in small round balls, which can vary from being tiny, resembling a white hail, to larger, resembling styrofoam filler. I use the short form of this snow as "styrofoam snow", because hail is painful and this snow does not hurt.

Still, the best snow is the rare "snowman snow". It is a great day when you wake up and can make snowballs, because that's a day you can make a snowman. That is the best kind of snow!

Really, the topic of snow is just begun in this blog. If you want to know more, check out wikipedia's  and read about the types of snow. For a linguistic mystery, check out the Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax, which explains how the myth began that "Eskimos" have 50 words for snow

So I hope that you are having a snowy fall, but if not, dream of a white Christmas. It is what I wish for every year!

If you have more names for snow, let me know! I may remember others as Winter approaches!