Trending
It's Sunday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m., and my husband and I just returned from a short walk. It's been snowing all day; over 10,000 flights have been canceled; about 20 states have declared emergencies; and millions of Americans are without electricity.
I've always been grateful for the area we live in. While the U.S. is known for its extreme weather events, we fortunately have never experienced them. Whether it's hurricanes, tornados, floods or masses of snow, here we don't have to worry about them. We've also been fortunate every Christmas break when flying abroad. It's only happened once that we had to spend a night in Frankfurt, Germany, on our way back from Austria to the U.S. because of the flight being canceled due to too much snow. The last time we were somewhat snowed in was some years ago in the Austrian mountains when the piled-up snow on the side of the road was higher than me and the wind was blowing the snow around so much we could barely see where we were walking.
Like other campuses in the area, mine will be closed for the snow, and honestly, I'm not happy about it. It screws up this week's plans for class. Over the years, however, I've gotten used to the campus being closed at least once each winter. Unlike other schools, we are a mainly residential campus and thus don't close as easily as other campuses around us. It's happened a few times though that I showed up on campus only to learn we were closed, too. During my entire childhood and teenage years, school was canceled only once. Of course, I was only a few tram stops away from school when I found out about it.
Austrians are very fast at clearing roads and sidewalks in the winter. Between November and April, if winter conditions are present, people may only drive their car if they use winter tires, and if they cause an accident without the winter tires on, the insurance won't jump in. As we are a very mountainous country, there are also times and places when snow chains will be required. My dad showed me how to put them on when I was a teenager and our car got stuck in the snow on the way to our country house.
Last year Rick had to get a new car as his 20-year-old car didn't pass inspection. The new car came with all-season tires. While the name suggests they do well in all seasons, they perform best in warm, dry and wet conditions but don't do a good job in winter conditions. To deal with heavy snow, ice and low temperatures, winter tires really are the best option, and on a snowy day like today, I'm so glad he also purchased winter tires that were put on back in November.
This evening, Rick was hungry for a sandwich. Except for Dollar General and the YMCA, where he'd worked out earlier today, everything was closed: all the restaurants, the grocery store, the gas station. Even though he most likely wouldn't get a sandwich, we still went out. And it was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. The town looked so tranquil and peaceful in the dark with the snow glistening so brightly in the soft light of the streetlamp. Tiny flakes were falling on us; you could barely see them. Despite the 18 degrees, it didn't feel that cold either. My heart filled with joy as I stomped in my boots through the snow. A path had been shoveled on the sidewalk, and I generously ignored it, enthusiastically leaving my footprints in the deep snow next to the path. That was a little workout for sure, but it's so much fun when the snow reaches all the way up to my knees.
Rick, of course, didn't get his sandwich. As we walked down on Main Street in search of another restaurant, I cheerfully whooped and sang some made-up tune. Occasionally a car slowly drove by in the plowed street. Not a single place was open. Except for Pizza King. And that was where Rick got a medium pizza to take home.
I volunteered to carry the pizza. Being so happy out there in the glistening snow on this beautiful evening, I took my time. I sang some more and stopped to draw in the snow.
"Keep going! The pizza's getting cold!" Rick pushed me.
"Nah, the pizza's going to be fine. It's too beautiful out here to rush back. It's just like when I was growing up," I replied and kept taking my time.
This here today, this white beauty out there, indeed is a beloved childhood memory. Out in the Austrian countryside, the snow was even higher than this evening. I loved the cold air and shoveling the driveway. I loved the long popsicles hanging from the roof. I loved walking in the woods and throwing snowballs at my dad. I loved riding the sled down the hill.
No, I definitely don't want to experience the extreme cold and power outage like so many people in this country. But because we've been so fortunate once again, I do want to enjoy this beautiful and tranquil stillness out there, and I can't wait to take a long walk in the snow tomorrow and throw one or the other snowball at Rick.
Dr. Daniela Ribitsch, a native of Austria, is a resident of Lock Haven.