Grinchin' it.

Am I a Grinch? Everyone here makes me feel as though I am as soon as the topic of snow arises.

The thing is, I don't love snow. Am I wrong or is snow cold, wet, and hard thing in which to travel? When snow sits around it gets a hard crispy layer on top that cuts your ankles when you are going on a run. When it's fresh it's almost impossible to ride a bike to work. When it's old, it gets fouled and turns into hard brown bunches. Slick ice hides right next to the whitest pile of snow and dogs love to pee in the stuff (that may be more on the dogs than the snow).

The only time when snow is acceptable is in that first 12 hours after snowfall starts - when, you don't have to be anywhere and you can just watch the world change into it's alternative self for a while. Then, I'll give it to you, snow is beautiful and ethereal. It changes everything from the hard and dark of winter to a soft and white otherness. It quiets the sounds and gives the world cold clean scent. The smell of snow.

I guess maybe i need to stop taking such a hardlined stance against snow when it comes up in conversation. The people here are easily entranced. When it snows nearly an inch they are excited, scraping together snow leavings in order to make muddy, brown "snow"men. They gasp at the magical effects and maybe they're right. The snow rarely lasts longer than the 12 magical hours that my patience allows anyways. But, I am still not in love. Give me falling leaves and burnished autumn colors any day and I will be happier than any amount of snow and hot coco can make me.