Wind, Snow, and Ice

A lot of people have asked about the weather here: Is it cold? How much snow do you have? Is it windy?

Yes, Some, and Yes.

I joke. (More village vernacular for you!)

It started snowing in October, and we've had snow off-and-on since then. We had a warm spell in November, I think, about when it started to get really cold down-States. But "cold" has taken on a whole new meaning, in more ways than one.

First off, people here really, really like the cold and snow, mainly because it's easier to travel. Ironic, right? But when you're surrounded by rivers, lakes, and marshy tundra, it's much easier to travel when they're all frozen over. Snow machines, or "snow-go"s, are the preferred method of travel, and people got super excited when there was finally snow enough to use them. Kids love sliding on the icy streets and hills, riding in sleds pulled by snow machine or four wheeler, and in general just playing out in the snow. When we had a little warm spell (it got up into the 30s) the snow melted just enough to make everything covered in slippery, wet, ice. Not fun.

Secondly, even though it's cold and has been cold longer, I feel like I'm less cold here than I usually am in Kansas during the winter. In Kansas, when I went somewhere, I would generally wear jeans, shoes or boots, and a coat. I would sit in the car and freeze until it warmed up, then get out again and go into a building that may or may not be warm. Here, if I'm going up to school or am going to be out for a while, I might put on my snow pants, heavy coat, hat, mittens, boots, and since I'm walking I'm usually sweating by the time I get to school. And if I get a ride with someone, it's cold (the wind is awful when you're riding a four-wheeler), but I'm there in just a couple minutes. Plus, our house and the school, at least, are usually plenty warm.

And finally, you really do just get used to it. When it warmed up to the mid-30s I was amazed by how warm it actually felt!

The wind is a different story. It's not always windy, but it can get super windy. Back in October I walked to school one morning and it was so windy the snow was blowing horizontally and I almost got knocked over several times (it doesn't help when you're trying to walk in slippery snow). The school is up the hill a ways, so part of the way is blocked by the mountain, but when I got into the open I had to stop and catch my breath before plowing my way across the yard. The whole time I kept thinking, "This is insane. I can't believe I'm really walking to school in this. This is really happening." And they tell me that wasn't even a big storm! The last couple days we had really strong winds that blew snow drifts around the front of our house. It's hard to tell how much snow we actually have because the wind blows it around. The planes couldn't get in while it was blowing so hard, but it's finally calmed down today so a couple planes just landed.

Tomorrow school starts up again, and I'm back to walking in the snow in the early morning. We bought a snow machine though, and it should be on its way soon, so I have that to look forward to. Soon Drew and I might get to see what all the fuss is about!