Let it snow!

In the Pacific Northwest, there are two kinds of snow: the kind that sticks and the kind that doesn't.  Here in Togiak, that is laughable.  I now totally understand why it is said the Eskimos have 50 different words for snow.  It's because there are 50 kinds of snow. 

There is the heavy, soggy wet flakes that turn quickly into ice, causing me to do the Icey Snow Shuffle-feet stay on the ground going from one textured spot to another to avoid slipping.  There is the dry, tiny swirling snow usually accompanied by a fierce wind that prompts me to wear my goggles over my glasses.  There is the regular snow that piles up in drifts that is easy to walk on and squeaks.  I like the last kind the best when I am outside, but any variation makes me grin when I look out the window and see that it's snowing.

Last week we had enough snow to close schools.  In the PNW.  Here, it was no biggie.  Everyone got out their snow pants and went about their business as usual.  But there was enough of it, after two years of no snow, that the school secretary sent out an email asking to update the phone tree in case school gets cancelled.  Which it only does if the bus company decides it's too icy to drive. 

I have seen full sized trucks and 4 wheelers and one Sno go (a smaller version of a snow mobile) slipping and skidding all over our ice rink of a parking lot.  And all the kids are up late going ice skating on the huge puddle just outside the post office.  A puddle the size of a house lot that is constantly full; in the fall, kids played in the muddy water, now they slide along its icy surface.  There are no traditional ice skates worn for this, just regular boots and momentum.  I guess it is good that they are getting exercise in the fresh air, but I do wish they would go to bed before midnight!

So far, I have fallen once.  I was on my way home from Open Gym and didn't realize that under the crunchy snow was ice.  I had that odd experience of realizing half way, "Oh, there is no recovering from this fall so I had better fall the right way" in the nano-second before I hit the ground.  One of my personal rules for this year is to not break my leg again as I have the past two years.  So I flung out my computer bag so it landed soft side down, protecting my school computer inside, and fell face forward spread eagle.  Onto my tummy, my (now) wonderful corpulent tummy.  No damage done, especially since there was no one around to see me.

So yes, this answers the timeless question of if Amanda falls in the parking lot and no one is there to see it, she does make a sound--"ooooph!"