Ode to snow

There are not many things that can make an adult act like a child, but I believe snow is one of them.

A little over a week ago, Coffee County got its first good snow in a while. I don't define a "good snow" as some of the dustings we have gotten so far this season.

I define a good snow as one that is at least three inches, which is what I got at my house.

Watching snow fall from the sky can be truly hypnotic. Even if I am involved in some activity at work or at home, I can't stop pausing to look out the window to see if it is still falling.

This probably goes back to my childhood. Back then, it took a lot more than a dusting to get school cancelled for the day. These days, some school systems will call off school before the first flake falls.

So, as a boy, I took great interest in how hard the snow was falling and if it was sticking to the streets. If it stopped snowing early in the day, I would begin to sweat it out because I knew the sun would come from behind the clouds and start melting it.

What made this recent snow so unusual is that it happened in March. Once February ended, I thought our chances for a good snow were gone until next winter.

After all, how often do we get measurable snows in March here in Tennessee? Not often. However, one of the largest snows I can remember happened back in March of 1993.

The folks at The Weather Channel refer to it as the Super Storm of 1993, and more than 10 inches fell here locally. This happened on the same weekend that the Coffee County Lady Raiders basketball team won the state championship.

I didn't make the trip to Murfreesboro for the game because of the snow, which was very disappointing. However, I got to enjoy a good snow and a state championship on the same weekend, so I have no complaints.

My infatuation with snow is primarily because of how little we get of it. I'm sure my tune would change if I lived in a location where snow fell all the time.

For example, during the recent storm, the people in Cleveland and Buffalo got buried in it. Those folks really get it from both sides all the time.

They get buried when strong storm systems like the one we experienced come through, plus they get lake effect snows because they are located by the Great Lakes.

As much as I enjoy snow, I believe I would go crazy if I had to deal with as much of it as they do. I suppose that is something the people up there get used to, but I believe I would quickly tire of it.

From a weather perspective, this is part of the reason I like living in Tennessee so much. Most years, we get a little bit of everything.

In the winter, we get cold snaps and light snows that are here briefly then go away.

Most summers, it is hot during July and August, but it quickly fades into autumn. Of course, last summer was an exception. It was extremely hot and dry for a long period so maybe we were just experiencing the opposite of what the people in Cleveland and Buffalo go through.

I've never been to Cleveland and Buffalo, and I am sure they are fine cities.

But I love living here in Tennessee, and it is here I will stay.