Snow!

It seemed like winter never really arrived in Virginia this year.  Daffodills had started to bloom and I noticed that a few redbud tree's had started to get little buds on them.  When we heard the forecast for snow yesterday Andy and I chuckled a bit.  Well it turns out the joke was on us.  We had a little over eight inches of snow yesterday.  It's the kind that sparkles like glitter in the sun which is my favorite. 

When I lived in Maine I couldn't wait for winter to be over.  Some winters there is so much snow that it is overwhelming.  We had 99 - ninety nine - inches of snow the last year I lived there.  All the shoveling, plowing, and snow blowing became very tiresome to say the least.  Living in Virginia has been a refreshing experience.  Businesses and schools shut down at the near mention what would be considered flurries in Maine.  Grocery stores get wiped out of bread, milk and eggs before a storm so a little planning is helpful if you know that snow is coming.  A few people who are native to the area have said to me that the snow here is much worse than what comes down in Maine.  They have the impression that snow in Maine is light and fluffy and pretty much what you would see in a holiday movie.  That ice storms just don't happen that far north.  I can tell you from first hand experience that  there are ice storms and the snow in Maine is just as heavy as snow in Virginia.  The snow in Maine doesn't melt in a day or two like it does here though.  The ground there freezes to the density of granite which helps keep the snow around for the entire winter. 

Im going to enjoy the snow here while it lasts and be thankful that it will be gone in a day or two.