Winter Adaptation:

Trading White Sand for White Snow by Lexi Larkin

My whole life I had warm, white sand beneath my feet on the gorgeous beaches of Florida and in the span of a five day road trip, I found myself moving to a little western town in the Pacific Northwest. I enjoyed the thrill of moving across the country but I became increasingly apprehensive of dealing with the snow for the first time. I’ve been trying to explain my excitement to my new friends and I’m mostly met with grumbles and a general distaste for winter. I went through an ordeal to snow proof my Florida car (what the heck is antifreeze?) and spent the months of fall enjoying the colorful trees and biding my time for the first snowfall. There are a lot of “firsts” I’m experiencing this year including driving down hills and over mountains, which get a whole lot worse when it’s snowing and icy. I’m hoping the cars behind me will give me a pass due to my Florida’s license plate. It’s currently mid January and I’m in the thick of winter. Snow is falling everyday now and I’m learning there are different kinds of snowfall. As a Floridian, I had only seen snow in Christmas movies and never given it much thought. So even though every northerner is probably rolling their eyes, I’ve got to share my experience of my first winter for my fellow Floridians.

The first snow this year was on December 1st and I could’ve sworn it was raining outside. I caught a few raindrops in my hand and they seemed like they were transitioning from rain to snow. Each droplet had a little white center but the second it hit the ground it would be water. This kind of snow drifted down lighter than a real raindrop but it did not accumulate even though it lasted about a week. As soon as the temperature dropped this snow became icy mush on the ground and one wrong step would cover you in thick, cold mud. The snow that occurred next also did not gather on the ground, instead it was carried in the sky with the wind. It almost came down in whisked sheets. This snow was the hardest to drive in because it made one’s visibility poor (buy the purple windshield wiper fluid, trust me). This type of snow goes by the name light snow. I was visiting a friend who lives on the main hill overlooking the town. The wind speed was 60 mph and I had to take a moment to watch the movement of the wind due to the light snow. It was breathtaking to see the way it swirled and whipped around the streets of my new little town.
The next week, the temperature dropped into the negatives and we saw the next type of snowfall. Apparently the area I’m living in is quite dry so the snow is called powdery snow and looks picturesque when it’s covering the whole town. I’ve also heard it elegantly called champagne snow which has to be my favorite description. This snow is so fluffy it’s hard to keep my hands off it, at least until I can’t feel my fingers anymore. The powdery snow falls in dusty little pieces and it stacks neatly on the ground; however, when I caught some in my hands, I was surprised that there were no individual snowflakes. I had always grown up hearing stories about how each snowflake is unique and how together they form snow. Evidently, snowflake snow has to be wet snow. Which does not occur very often in super dry areas (like the wheat farm town I’m living in). This is because the dry air does not supply the moisture needed for the snowflake to grow.

I’m hoping for a higher humidity in the next few weeks but even so, I’m still happy with my champagne snow. Of course, I’m the only one out here with a smile on my face while I’m scraping snow off my car. I love that I was given the opportunity to appreciate a true winter with all of its pros and cons. A few of my favorite things in the winter season are all the scarves, sweaters, and snow boots, the hot drinks that have never tasted so good, the crisp air first thing in the morning, and the fact that I never miss the sunset because it happens in the middle of the day. But, I think my favorite thing about my new winter home is the footsteps I leave behind in the snow that remind me of the footsteps in the sand of the sunny place I come from.

-Lots of love and prayers, Lexie Larkin

Lexie Larkin: Child of God, Bachelor’s in Psychology (University of Florida), Master’s in Public Health (Florida State University), World Traveler, Empowered Traditionalist