Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
There seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the sky is not cloudy all day.
I woke up this morning in my new home to discover the silent
night had painted the landscape white. That’s the thing about snow, it’s sneaky.
I grew up on the beach in Southern California when the state
deserved to be called golden. I thought snow was something you drove to so you could slide
down a hill on a sled, skis, a piece of cardboard. For a couple years in the distant past, I lived
in Ohio. This was my introduction to weather that forgets to announce its
arrival. When I threw up the garage door to find my driveway covered in snow,
an expletive escaped my lips. It meant I had to shovel the driveway and
sidewalk before I could leave for work. Bummer.
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| Heavy rain gives you fair warning Quest Center, Omaha, Nebraska |
Nowadays, I’m retired except for writing, so I enjoy snow. I’m
also enjoying Nebraska far more than I expected. I knew I’d like seeing the
grandchildren nearly every day, but the state itself has been pleasantly surprising.
There are great people in Nebraska and far more geographic diversity than I80
would lead you to believe. Coming from Arizona with its deserts, mountains, and
everything in between—
including a canyon of grand proportions—I
expected dull flatness. Not so. Omaha, my new home, rambles gently through pleasant
rolling hills. In fact, my home looks
out over knolls that show off fresh snow like a dandy might flaunt a newly
purchased wardrobe.
But you don’t have to believe me. Monty McCord posted this video about Nebraska on Facebook. Stunning images. My only question is: where
is all that white stuff?