Snow days at our new home in the Coastal area of North Carolina is different than at our former Iowa home. There is more caution and curiosity here instead of being the winter status quo. Even preparing for the snow with all the urgency around, I could still sense a bit of excitement in the air here in North Carolina, snow in Iowa just seems like a routine winter day.
The snow started the evening before with cold and unforgiving wind blowing throughout the night. Once the flurries ended, the morning sun came out in all its glory shining beautifully on the white blanket of snow. We awoke and could tell we definitely were not in Iowa as it was quiet, calm, and serene. No sound of scraping snow plows, no snow blowers whirring throughout the neighborhood, no cars idling as they warm up. It was just quiet and peaceful.
Here in the south, I have yet to see a snow plow. It appears roads in the south are not quickly cleared, if they are cleared at all. Few people have shovels so most side walks and driveways stay covered until it warms and melts away. It seems the general consensus is the snow will melt in a few days. And it will. From what I can see, most people just hunker down and stay close to home. Not a bad way to deal with snow!
The day was beautiful. It has been a long time since I actually looked at the beauty of fresh fallen snow and taken it all in. The sun shining bright in the blue skies over the white snow always makes for a beautiful winter postcard scene. A deep breath of brisk air smelled so fresh and regenerating, as it does after a good snow and a feeling of peace embraced me. All around, neighbors were out and about greeting each other cheerfully with smiles and waves while shoveling their driveways as well as shoveling the drives of the neighbors without shovels. And me, I made a snow angel, such a simple thing yet it gave me such joy.
Of course we drove around a bit because we are from Iowa. The roads were not great and worse than expected but what surprised us most was seeing kids slide down the hills of the side of the ramps along the highway. They looked like they were having a blast! I am sure some were sliding for their first time ever. Sledding is something we took for granted in Iowa, it’s also a right of passage. Although not a sled in sight, they made do with what they had. Sledding down the snow covered hill on beach inner tubes, inflatable floaties, and even cookie sheets, the kids were enjoying the gift of a snow day! Innovation at its best and enjoying this rare event orchestrated by Mother Nature.
So although a snow event is different here in the south, I absolutely loved it! The slowing down, warmth of the fire, enjoying the outdoors, and just waiting it out has been a good reset for me. I have gratitude we did not accumulate snow or loose our electricity as some other areas have. My heart goes out to those people who have had major snow problems and hope they have a quick recovery. I must say although this has been beautiful, once is enough snow for this year and I can’t wait for warm beach weather here in the Coastal area of North Carolina!
Photos From Our Snowy Weather
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Delightful! I’m in coastal NC too – and have a huge love of Greece – and am also a Gen X traveler/digital nomad.
Oh wow!!! We have a lot in Common! We are new to the area but are loving North Carolina! And don’t get me started on Greece! I could talk all day about my love for Greece! Lori
I’m not a big fan of snow. It’s pretty on the first day and makes for nice photos, but then it disrupts everyday life for months on. I’m so glad I’m not spending the winter in Toronto this year.
I would think Toronto would be a tough spot to spend winter at!!!
Wow, you almost have more snow there than we have here in the Great White North Lori. A good novelty, but I bet not something you expected when you moved there. Happy Tuesday. Allan
We certainly did not expect it! Our last day in Iowa Steve included his snow boots among items in our trip to a local charity! He did bring a shovel though, just in case! I am hoping it is just a novelty and we get back to our mild temperatures soon! Can’t golf when you can’t see the green and your balls blend with the snow! Have a great week, Allan! Lori
Enjoy! I love the snow, but I guess it’s cause I don’t have to drive in it.
Love the Snoe angel pics! How fun.
I am not a snow fan but I did not mind this time. I also like it when I travel to the mountains in Colorado and I love it when it snows on Christmas Eve. Other than that, I’ve had enough snow over the last almost 60 years live in Iowa, so I am ready for no snow!
Oh I hear ya. I’m still snow newbie. Hopefully, this is the last snow for NC this winter.❄️☃️
I hope it is the last snow as well and I hope it warms up soon!
And you thought you could get “away” so easily? Mother Nature certainly likes a good joke! Shovel but no boots. That is funny. The pics are pretty. And for the “once in a while” anomaly a nice change of pace. When I lived in Louisiana and it snowed or iced, it generally lasted a couple, three days. Enjoy! And hey, invent a new game, snow golf, just use those orange balls. 😁☃️❄️😏🤓🥶🥶
Jerry, you crack me up🤣🤣. The irony of it all! Here permanently and snow within our first month! Steve brings a shovel but no boots. I brought my snow boots but there’s only one shovel. Of course I guess I could’ve shoveled since I had the snow boots, but I was busy making a snow angel 🤣🤣. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw snow golf as there are a lot of hard core golfers here! We are supposed to get a high of 51 today so that should take care of a good bit of snow!
Thanks for having such a positive attitude about snow in the South. Too many transplants don’t understand our regional snow rituals, but it makes sense to just “ride it out” and not spend tax money on expensive equipment that will rarely be used.
When I was a kid, we moved to a place that reputedly had significant snowfall. My parents gave me a sled for Christmas. Of course, we were only there for a year and that happened to be the year they had no significant snowfall. That unused sled was eventually sold in a yard sale when I was well into adulthood.
I have actually found many things in the south have really taught me to slow down and just “wait and see” or “ride it out”. Too bad you didn’t get to use the sled! We are actually loving living down here so far! I still can’t drink my tea sweet but otherwise I am enjoying the different cultural experiences.
Given that I associate the US South with hot, humid summers, I often forget that winters can be brutally cold (snow included)! It’s interesting to learn how the South handles snowy roads than the Midwest, i.e. they don’t, and I hope you’re staying warm at home! Funny enough, it’s been high 70s here in LA for the past couple of weeks, and it even hit low 80s today! Hard to imagine that much of the rest of the country is freezing. Be safe!
It sounds lovely in LA. We have been melting all day today and hoping we see no more snow! In the meantime, I have caught up on some reading, crocheted a blanket, and working on some writing. Plus I made sprouted wheat bread! So I guess being “snowed in” allowed me to get a few things done!
I love the snow for all the reasons you gave. The weather sure is mixed up this winter. Snow in the South, no snow where we live in Wyoming. I actually wish we had your snow! Loved the pics.
I wish you had our snow as well! LOL. It wasn’t too bad, I was just surprised at how different a snow day is here.