ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702110040
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: SANDRA JAMES SNIDER
This column is being reprinted from Sunday's Current as part of the piece was omitted from the paper.
Winter came in and sat down hard. And stayed and stayed and stayed, like the uninvited house guests who never know when to go home.
An old friend once said, "House guests are like fish. After three days they should be thrown out!"
Snow should be somewhat like that. We had been expecting her for a long time, winter, that is. When she came, it was with all her accouterments: cold winds, snow, ice and a hefty dose of inconvenience.
I never learned to drive in the snow. I've made it a policy not to do so except when it is an absolute necessity. Even my father didn't drive in the inclement weather. He had a buddy pick him up and bring him home. I can see him now walking in the footprints left earlier in the morning by the milkman who had delivered the milk to our front door.
Schools were closed, so my mother, who was a teacher, stayed home and created wonderful aromas in the kitchen, like homemade vegetable soup and maybe an apple pie for dessert. There had been a pilgrimage to the market well in advance of the approaching snow storm to stock up on necessities and staples. But, looking back, she always stayed stocked up, just in case... .
Being born and bred farther South, we were lucky to get one good snowfall a year, and we really made an occasion of it. After three flakes hit the ground, schools were closed and we all prayed there would be enough accumulation to make snow angels and snowmen.
Snow gear (jeans and boots) stayed perpetually wet from bobbing in and out with friends. Our mothers were certain we would all catch a cold, which fortunately most of us did not. At night, several of us would join others and meet at a nearby golf course to go sledding. We were safe there. No cars, and the little hills were perfect for beginners and couples. Only the real daredevils took to the streets for the steeper inclines. It was a long walk home with numb faces and feet to get that cup of hot chocolate.
Shortly after we moved to the New River Valley, I was puzzled to see the town's workmen putting up fencing in the fields near the highways. When spring came, the same crew was out taking it down. "Snow fence" was a new term to me.
Winter was a real adventure farther south. We listened to the weather bulletins daily with anticipation of snowfall. Here in Southwest Virginia, we take bad weather and snow forecasts in stride and life goes on. It's another happening, and we deal with it with dignity and as little fuss as possible. However, we all remember the cruel winter storms of '94, and the winter of '96 with painful clarity, and now it appears history may be trying to top itself this winter. This winter the frigid cold and bitter winds are putting us to the test.
Sandra James Snider is a free-lance writer and poet and divides her time between Blacksburg and Pawleys Island, S.C.
LENGTH: Medium: 59 linesby CNB