Columbus, OH

Having lived in central Ohio since I was a small child, it always amuses me how silly people act when we get a few measly inches of the white stuff. You would think this was the first time many people had ever seen snow, much less had to drive in it.

But this weekend folks, we really got it good didn’t we? I am someone who, right about Christmas, thinks I should have taken the opportunity over the summer months to load up my stuff and head to Arizona. Not because I hate the snow, but because I hate the endless march of dreary cold days, without any good snowstorms, but with all the misery that winter weather can produce. Sleet, freezing rain, hail . . . that’s the kind of stuff that we usually get with our Ohio winters.

But this past weekend reminded me of the Ohio winters of my childhood. When there really was good snow. The blizzard of 1978 and the near blizzard-like snowstorms of the following year combined with the wonderful snows of 1984 and 1987 leave me with good memories, not horrible ones (in all cases my family was fortunate enough never to lose power, phone service or heat).

While the snow fell we could watch real accumulation, not a powder that fell, melted then froze into a treacherous mess. Then once it was through falling, we had the stuff—the stuff that made great snow men, snow balls and snow forts. We went sledding and really enjoyed it. We made snow angels with character. My brother finally got to try the snowshoes he bought at a yard sale for a dime.

I hope you didn’t lose power during the storm. I hope you get up a little early over the next week. I hope you drive slowly and carefully everywhere you need to go. I hope you will be careful and consider your health as you start to shovel out. I hope this stuff melts slowly, so we don’t wind up flooded.

But I also hope you were one of the ones who managed to snag those clearance sleds over the weekend. I hope your sledding hills were appropriately steep and your wipeouts fairly painless. I hope you had a great snowball fight with your kids. I hope you had a carrot and some buttons lying around for your snowman. I hope this is the year you finally get to ski on some real nature made powder instead of that stuff they spew from the snow machine. And I hope you really appreciate the chance to get stuck inside with family.

Oh, and I hope all your snow angels are smiling.

And while the National Weather Service says this past weekend doesn’t really qualify as a blizzard, I say to heck with that, it was blizzard enough for me.

So, I hope you will join me, as I raise a glass (of hot chocolate) and toast the blizzard of 2008.

Columbus, Ohio, OH, blizzard, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1987, 2008, snow angels, snow storm, sledding, fresh powder, skiing