Today we awoke to nearly two feet of snow. It began snowing early yesterday morning and accumulated to about a foot by the time we hit the sack last night. By this afternoon the white stuff finally stopped coming down and we actually saw the sun and blue skies.
Yesterday Alli and I got in the Christmas spirit and made sugar cookies and fudge. Tonight we will make green chile and some chocolate covered pretzels. Earlier today we ventured out into the winter wonderland with Alvin and walked eight blocks to see our friends Ed & Denise. It was a fun excursion. I was dressed in my snowboarding clothes complete with the boots. We thought about wearing our snowshoes but decided not to in the end. They would have helped in a lot of places since not everyone was on top their shoveling chores.
Journeying out in the snow felt like step back in time. All the streets were covered with snow and we saw lots of people wandering around. Some were walking back from the corner liquor store with some items to keep them warm. Others were out with the family carrying home bags of groceries from Safeway. We saw people snowshoeing and people cross-country skiing. We even saw remnants of a snow fort where some lucky kids had a large scale snowball fight. However most people we saw were just out for a walk.
The thing that took me back to a time before ours was the fact that no cars were on the neighborhood roads. There were just lots of people on the streets amidst all these houses that were built a hundred years ago. Everyone we passed actually spoke to us by at least saying hi. Some even made small talk. This might be the norm in other areas but in the city it is very rare. Most days when I walk to work and pass people I won't even get eye contact much less a hello. So there must be something magic in that snow that brings out the friendliness in people.
Yesterday afternoon and earlier this morning I got to help shovel our sidewalks around the condo complex. It was fun and good exercise too. But shovelling sidewalks wasn't the only part of the job. I ended up helping three different people get their cars unstuck from the snow. In fact, at any given moment I could look down any of the streets and find another one or two groups of people pushing a car. The second guy I assisted drew my attention because he was cussing up a storm. He was a little perturbed because he felt the slowness of the car in front of him caused him to get stuck. He was also in a rear-wheel drive Volvo with slick tires - not good for deep snow. Anyway another neighbor and I got him going and he just took off without a word of thanks. Guess he was still upset.
Being snowed-in is a good thing I've decided. It's a mandatory break from an otherwise busy life. It wasn't quite as slow as spending a two-week honeymoon in Costa Rica but it has been much slower than the usual.
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