Just getting to the computer after a day of sleeping in, playing with the dog and putting on some chili -- the perfect way to spend a snowy Saturday. Flakes floated. Clumps stuck. Drifts formed. Mounds rose. Grass vanished. Trees sagged. Birds hid. Whiteness ruled. Shut-ins watched. Slackers slept. Couples smooched. Singles wished. Natives compared. Newcomers scoffed. Babies dozed. Elders remembered. Workers drove. Roads iced. Sidewalks crunched. Tires skidded. Cars crashed. Drivers cussed. Cops muttered. Survivors exhaled. Skies darkened. Sleet spattered. Rain froze. Fog swirled. Buildings dissolved. Landmarks retreated. Perspectives narrowed. Cities shrank. Schools closed. Parents shrieked. Work halted. Employees departed. Interstates clogged. Buses crawled. Teachers high-fived. Kids rejoiced. Hills beckoned. Slopes summoned. Sleds careened. Toboggans flipped. Snowmen towered. Snowballs soared. Bodies flattened. Angels appeared. Tongues extended. Snowflakes landed. Hands molded. Feet stomped. Ears reddened. Fingers tingled. Mittens dampened. Noses ran. Wind whistled. Chimes tinkled. Limbs groaned. Dogs barked. Ground hardened. Ponds glazed. Snowdrifts crusted. Temperatures dropped. Closeness mattered. Kinfolk called. Friends connected. Neighbors shared. Volunteers gave. Strangers helped. Clerks assisted. Cashiers smiled. Wires popped. Transformers exploded. Power blinked. Clocks stopped. Fridges defrosted. Victims shuddered. Linemen mended. Candles burned. Operators dispatched. Trucks towed. Mechanics tinkered. Engines cranked. EMTs rescued. Firefighters hosed. Officers probed. Doctors healed. Heaps collected. Piles enlarged. Masses expanded. Clearings faded. Angles rounded. Edges smoothed. Shapes blended. Colors disappeared. Shovelers heaved. Runners puffed. Skiers schussed. Skaters searched. Hunters crouched. Fishermen shivered. Flasks opened. Bellies warmed. Poets scribbled. Artists sketched. Photographers focused. Singers hummed. Inventors dreamed. Grifters schemed. Counselors soothed. Preachers prayed. Coffee perked. Tea steeped. Cocoa foamed. Bourbon swirled. Soup simmered. Casseroles baked. Marshmallows roasted. Popcorn popped. Clouds parted. Precipitation ended. Sunshine emerged. Icicles melted. Water puddled. Eaves dripped. Snowbanks sank. Plenty remained. Dark came. Slush solidified. Ice blackened. Highways slickened. Students hoped. Travelers worried. Storms poised. Forecasts wavered. Midnight ticked. Peace settled. Sounds quieted. Movement stilled. Light reflected. Darkness shined. Thoughts overflowed. Weather changed. Challenges abounded. Humanity won. Kindness prevailed. Hearts lightened. Memories accumulated. People learned. Nature taught.
I wrote about a day like this back in 2000, and it turned out to be one of my most popular columns. Here's a video of me reading it at StorySlam a couple of months ago... the text is below.
Snow fell.
Computers crackled. Pagers beeped. Newspapers thudded. TVs flickered. Radios blared. Callers chattered. Critics grumbled. Weathermen apologized.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Snow fell
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12 comments:
I saw yesterday was Stan Olsen's last day. Did you and Franco make it down to the lobby to apologize that you still have jobs and your liberal slant is killing the paper?
Grow up Anonymous. Life is not black and white; Conservative versus Liberal. People like you are wrecking this great country with your drama and hyperbole. Do something useful. Get a life.
7:43 and 9:19 how about 20 paces and first blood. Though Tommy might rather you fight to the mutual death.
Is the liberal slant killing the paper? No it's the normal course of life and in this case death. Like Western Union and Eight Tracks.
As far as Hyperbole, let's talk about Change now there is some hype! Washington is a mess our leaders spent the last 1/2 of the year screwing with health care because they thought a big bailout fixed everything. Wow how wrong could they be?
So back on point, Tommy great twist on snow. The only word you missed was silence, which is all I care to hear from the ding dongs who post their political agendas on a snow story.
We moved here from Florida in 2000 and were thrilled to see the snow. We thought it was a regular occurrence to have that much snow -- little did we know our whole family would be praying for snow every year thereafter to get an inch or two. Of course there's a delicate balance between seeing the fluffy stuff regularly and not -- shoveling/driving/working through it vs. enjoying/wishing for it. Perhaps a move to Iredell/north Mecklenburg would satisfy... :-) Thanks for the great stories Tommy!
Plenty remained. I liked
This would make a great kids book. You should partner with an illustrator...
Loved this and shared with friends across the state. I must have missed it the first time--surprising since I read everything you write.
Snowcream crunched...
Nice article, Tommy.
I always read the poem "Snowbound" when it snows - great description of a New England blizzard.
I liked the pome.
I agree with Cedar that "silence" was missing. After a snow, I love going outside before I go to bed to spend a few moments in the quiet that is more muffled.
Although, I didn't save it back when it was published in 2000, I remembered your wonderful piece "Snow Fell" when I wrote an entry for my own blog a while back. Thanks for the inspiration.
http://smokyscout.blogspot.com/2008/09/singin-in-rain.html
Tommy where are you? Nothing but crickets since the 31st? What is up with that?
And on this day of January 30th I was in Maryland for their Annual Polar Bear Plunge into the Chesapeake Bay at Sandy Point State Park.
It was one whale of a crazy, wacky and just plain insane party in the midst of a raging snowstorm with 10-15 mph gusty winds, wind chill of 7 degrees, water temp in the 30's and air temps in the 20's and falling. This was the perfect day for a P-O-L-A-R Plunge.
And oh yes I did plunge - 3 times in fact. The 3rd plunge completely underwater.
Afterwards, I could not feel my legs nor my feet for about 15 minutes.
It was well worth Freezing For A Reason for Maryland's Special Olympians.
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