october snow

When I left the house today, it was drizzling. By the time I was done with my errands, there was at least an inch of fluffy white wet snow on my car. I couldn't find my scraper-brush so I pushed off the snow with my woolen mittens. I felt kind of silly walking into the store with my stocking cap and woolen mittens.  Now I was glad I had these mittens-turned-snow-removers.

The snow accumulated on my groceries in the cart faster than I could unpack them, turning the cardboard boxes into soggy messes. It melted into the back of my slides as I pushed the cart back, so I hopped on my tip-toes back to the car which was trying to warm up. With the defroster blasting heat to the windshield and the wipers swaying back and forth I gripped the steering wheel and smiled.

I love the first snow. Never mind that it is October 23rd. Never mind that I might have a white birthday and would certainly rather have a sugar maple red one. The first snow is exhilarating. Seeing those one inch diameter snow clusters drifting down like cotton balls to the ground is absolutely thrilling. It reminds me of the paintings we did in elementary school art class with watered down white paint dipped on a toothbrush and sprayed onto bright blue construction paper.

Driving home in this autumn winter wonderland I slowed down for all the cars in front of me stepping on their brakes. I didn't mind, though. Instead I admired the mutual understanding that Minnesota drivers have in winter: drive slowly and surely. And don't let snow stop you.

Especially in October.