I Ain't Afraid of No Snow!

I realize this is an abrupt shift, coming off a post on the verdant Vauxhall Gardens, but Boston is bracing itself for a winter storm today, so my thoughts have turned back to snow. We're expecting 4-8 inches--or as they say here in New England, "a dusting."

New Englanders are a hearty lot and they don't let snow slow them down. They can't. Snow is a fact of wintry life here. We get "nor'easters" (think of a midwestern blizzard and then toss in the extra fun of hurricane force winds!)

But I've lived in 9 different states, most of them seriously in the snow belt. Boston doesn't come close to pegging out my "too-much-snow-ometer." I've wintered in Minneapolis, Denver, Wyoming, northern Iowa--all places with wicked snowfalls. But the place than made me say "uncle" was Park City, Utah.



Don't get me wrong. Park City is drop dead gorgeous. I adored our place on the mountainside. (We were at 7200 ft. in elevation and I was in the best aerobic shape of my life. Just cleaning my house there was a workout.)

The short summers were cool and delicious and we could count on seeing moose in our extremely steep backyard. Because the town's economy was very seasonal, all the lovely restaurants and shops ran specials for the locals during spring and fall. The quaint little "downtown" is a picture perfect blend of art galleries and boutiques. For years, it was the site for the Sundance Film Festival and it wasn't unheard of to see Robert Redford in line at the grocery store. While we lived there, Park City was host to some of the 2002 Winter Olympics events. The world came to visit and it was a heady time.

But the first year we lived there, we got 5 FEET of snow over Thanksgiving weekend. We were out every hour trying to keep up with it and make sure we didn't get trapped inside the house. We started the winter with two snowblowers. We wore the older one out within the first month. While my DH was at work, I had to blow off the drive way a couple times a day, just to make sure he'd be able to get back in that evening. By December, our snow blower couldn't throw the new snow high enough to get over the twelve-foot wall of the stuff that surrounded our driveway. My DH would fill up the back of his pick-up each evening and haul it down to Salt Lake City the next day so it would melt while he worked.

Not only was there lots of it. Once the snow came, it stayed. The last of the snow finally melted in June. Seven months of snow is four months too many for me. When we left there for temperate Seattle, I felt nothing but relief. You don't have to shovel rain.



Park City taught us a valuable lesson. When we learned we'd be coming to New England, we took winter into consideration when we made our housing choice. We bought a condo with easy access to the T. We don't have to shovel. We don't have to drive in it.

I ain't afraid of no snow. Bring it on, winter. I'm ready for you this time!

How about you? Do you deal with snow where you live? Or are you a snowbunny who loves it?

White Christmas? Yay or Nay

I'm guest blogging over at InMyHumbleOpinion today, sharing an excerpt from A CHRISTMAS BALL and giving you a chance to divulge what YOU really want for Christmas! Commenters at IMHO are entered in the monthly drawing for the gift basket filled with signed books from me, Jennifer Ashley, Christie Craig, Carrie Lofty and TJ Bennett PLUS a $20 Amazon gift certificate! Hope to see you there!

When we moved to Boston in 2007, we knew we were heading back into snow country. It didn't daunt us. We've wintered in Iowa where "white-outs" can make it impossible to see the house across the street. In Minneapolis, where wind chill is the big story. In Wyoming where the wind howls like a demon and in Park City, Utah where snow starts falling in late October and doesn't leave completely till late May. (No joke. We had 12 mortal feet of the white excrement to deal with that year, but I should have expected it since Park City is an international ski destination!)

We know how to do snow.

And we know we'd rather not unless we have to. So we arranged our life in New England so we can enjoy looking at the white stuff, but don't have to do anything with it unless we want to. Our condo has staff that takes care of the sidewalks. We live a short walk to the Boston T. If we don't want to drive in the snow, we don't. But we can make snowmen in the park, watch our terrier leap from drift to drift, and appreciate the frozen beauty of the Mystic River.

So this week when our condo staff staked out put out the waist high sticks (and oh, yeah, the snow can get that deep here) to indicate where the walks should be shoveled, I started humming "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Do you live in snow country? Have a blizzard story to share? I remember one time in NC we got 8 inches and it shut down the city for a week! Do you dream of a "white Christmas?"