Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Iceman Cometh
It only has a shelf life of 6 hours max, but snow in NY is beautiful. It blankets all the dirt and debris. It reflects sunlight causing buildings to sparkle brighter. It even hushes the omnipresent street noise. The beauty, however, is fleeting. First the corners start to melt, sending rivulets of slush and dirt streaming towards the drains. Garbage collects on top, marring the pristine white surface. The last insult: the yellow tinged snow that can only mean one thing – the dogs are out. By midday, people bustle by barely noticing the snow, save for the white ring of salt that tinges pant legs and boots alike.
While snow in NY barely registers as an occurrence, here in Michigan, snow is a way of life. People drive in it, shovel it, lose their power because of it, love it and absolutely hate it. Snow and ice define the Michigan winter.
With the exception of a cold snap back in November, this Michigan winter has been mild. Because of El Nino, temperatures have hovered in the 40’s or higher and we have yet to see substantial snowfall - until yesterday.
A huge storm cut an icy swath across the Plains and the Midwest this week. Monday dawned on a world completely encased in ice. Tree limbs, unable to support the weight of the icicles that clung to their branches, collapsed to the ground, hitting cars and power lines. As the day progressed, the temperature dropped and the snow began. Left in its wake were ice-encrusted houses, cars and people, all of whom were stuck in traffic. As Michiganders always say “no one knows how to drive in snow.”
This morning the sun came out, but with temperatures only in the high teens, the ice holds strong. It glistens from every surface. And it’s beautiful.
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