Snow

I was talking to a colleague from NYC on the phone when he asked me if it was snowing in Syracuse. I looked out the window and told him it was partly sunny. I could see shadows and only an inch of snow had fallen in the past six hours.

It has snowed pretty much every day since we got here on January 1, with the exception of a short January thaw with one day of rain. To be more precise, there has been measurable snow on 20 of the last 30 days. Last night it snowed about an inch, but when I walked Joli this morning it was clear. A spotlight full moon lit the fresh snowscape. Everything sparkled and glowed. Subzero snow squeaked under my boots.

The constant presence of snow alters the look and feel of the air. Often a very light snow will fall as the sun peeks through. Snow of two inches or less is never considered significant enough to disturb anyone's plans. The new mayor gave her ”State of the City” address this past week with three inches of snow falling and temperature near zero. Four hundred and fifty people showed up.

Even much more significant snowfall rarely slows things down for long around here. Earlier this week I held video hearings with the Watertown remote site on a day with lake effect snow. For those of you who don't live near Lake Ontario, there is a band about 30 miles wide between Syracuse and Watertown where snow can fall at a terrific rate. Two or more inches an hour with a stiff breeze is not unusual. Interstate 81 traverses this band. It can be clear in Syracuse but only 15 miles north it can be snowing so hard that the entire world is undifferentiated white. Driving in those conditions is beyond hazardous, nonetheless all of the claimants showed up on time for their hearings. One lawyer left Syracuse in time to make the drive, but called me when she hit the snow belt and couldn't see the road. I told her to come back and do the hearing by video with me. After the hearing she genuinely apologized for being such a snow wimp. Everyone here has multiple stories about how they got home when they were caught in a white-out. The favorite is some variation of following a truck or snowplow and ending up in the wrong place.

The snow and the cold have been transformed into a sort of Spartan virtue here. People perk up when telling their favorite snow story. They seem friendlier. We're all in this together, so we might as well find ways to enjoy it. The local media faithfully reports on the “snow race” between the five upstate cities. The winner gets the “Golden Snowball” trophy. http://goldensnowball.com/ Syracuse wins most years and is leading this year with 67.3” as of last night. Buffalo took the prize in 1977 with 199.4” for the season. Syracuse's best was a not too shabby 192.1” in 1993. That's a lot of snow but the totals for the snow belt communities east of Lake Ontario can be much higher. Almost 12 feet of snow fell on Redfield in 2007 in one snow storm. The people there are proud of not paying much attention to how high the snow banks are getting. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17094120/

The parks offer cross country skiing, snow shoeing, sleigh rides, ice fishing and sledding. Snowmobile events fuel the winter economy in the Tug Hill Plateau and the Adirondacks. Many communities around here hold a Winter Carnival with snow & ice sculpture, polar bear plunges, chili cook-offs, human sled dog races and any other silly thing you can imagine doing in the snow. We hope to join the festivities at the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival some time in the next few weeks to see the world renowned Ice Castle. This fine winter celebration has been held in the coldest village in the Adirondacks every year since 1897. http://www.saranaclakewintercarnival.com/ The theme this year is “Adirondack Cowboys.” I can only imagine what that might mean.

Joli likes the snow. She eats it. She pounces on invisible mice that she thinks she hears sneaking through pukak tunnels. http://www.jon-nelson.com/pukak-life-under-the-snow

Merry likes snow. She loves the way snow transforms the outline of everything. She loves feeding the birds and watching them flock to our yard. She doesn't mind the cold and takes great snow photographs. She loves skiing, both cross country and downhill, ice skating and snowshoeing.

Over the years I've lived here the slippery footing, the muscle contracting cold and crystalline air have become a part of me. I missed it while living in St. Louis. I'm glad to be back.