Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

We've been seeing our fair share of snow this week. It has snowed the past 3 days, a couple inches each day. You think we'd be buried but it keeps melting after each snow so there isn't as much as you might think actually lying on the ground at present.

My favorite part of the week has been hearing my co-workers (and radio announcers) making fun on Londoners the way Northerners make fun of Southerners for shutting down cities and stopping life for a couple inches of snow. Very humorous.

I'm actually impressed that Aberdonians can handle the few inches each year with much more ease and determination (not to stop life) than North Carolinians can with the same amount of snow and about the same (or less) equipment. I had one co-worker spend 2.5 hours trying to get to work yesterday. That's impressive!

My biggest complaint about the snow here is not the roads (though ours doesn't get "gritted" [or salted, or plowed for that matter] most roads aren't too bad). The trouble is with the "pavements" (sidewalks). They are bumpy sheets of ice. The snow turns to slush, which in turn gets slippery, which freezes, which is more slippery creating very dangerous walking situations. In a city where pedestrians are as plentiful as Super Bowl watchers (okay, maybe not that many!) you'd think the city would sweep, plow, salt, or "grit" the sidewalks. Before Mark left for work today he was saying how he dreaded the 15 minute walk on ice. I told him he should walk in the street because it would be safer.

(The above little guy was "freezing his tail off" in our neighbor's garden!)

All in all, the snow has been beautiful, albeit somewhat messy. Still better than Tuesday when it was "peeing down rain" (my new favorite Scottish phrase that my colleague uses frequently!) and very dark with heavy clouds. At least the snow is brighter (except for below when it was really coming down in huge, thick flakes)!