Why I Love Living In The Snowiest City In America
As you've all heard by now, Erie PA is setting records this month for the most snow in the entire United States. We have seen more than five feet of snow since Christmas Eve. Just in the month of December alone, we are now up to TEN feet!
Living In A Snow Globe
It leaves the nation looking up records left and right. In the past 7 years, the GoldenSnowGlobe website has been having fun keeping track of snowiest cities and we only won one other time. Usually, Syracuse, NY, takes home the 'trophy' and the absolutely highest recorded amount posted by GoldenSnowGlobe.com was the first year their website was active, 2010. Syracuse took it that year with 179 inches! (That's almost 15 feet or 454 centimeters!)
That means, we only have another sixty inches to go before spring to break the website's record. I'm so excited to see that potentially happen! Now, most would read that and think I'm off my rocker.
"Who would want to live through a winter where they had almost 15 feet of snow!" And, although I've never claimed to be quite sane, I contend that it's pretty awesome to live in a snowy city such as Erie. Here is my reasoning:
Four Full Seasons
I get to live through all four seasons pretty extremely, for one. And, being that I am one for variety, it appeals to all my senses. From spring flowers and planting gardens and hot summer nights with the trilling of crickets to crisp fall days smelling the grapes ripening in the sun and long snowy days each winter, I get to watch my world transform to a totally new landscape month after month.
We have days here where we hit 100 degrees and the humidity feels like you could soak through your shirt in minutes. We also have recorded temperatures right here at the homestead of -30F where a cup of water will freeze before it hits the ground.
Many love the constant predictability of a climate where temperatures and humidity rarely fluctuate, but for me, that raw untamed co-existence with nature resonates with my spirit.
Feeling Like A Pioneer
A recent conversation with a friend brought up this great point. She said that I sounded like a pioneer in love with the wilderness when I spoke of my excitement for the latest lake effect weather event. In a way, it made sense.
Living in a place like Erie lets me fight the elements and battle with Mother Nature, in a way. Now, Mother Nature is always going to win, I understand. But in order to fully experience her total raw untamed beauty, I have to live in it. So staying here gives me unfettered access to all her moods, as it were.
There are hot nights, swiftly blowing days and snow in between that give me perspective of our amazing planet and my personal limitations. There are amazing bugs and tiny moments among the moss and seedlings that give me pause as to how intricate our planet is. I flat out relish the challenge of living in this climate!
It's Exciting
OK, so that sounds like I'm still ten years old, but I stand by that statement. It's exciting to live here and experience such things like multiple feet of snow every year. I love cross-country skiing, nature walks and simply playing in the snow. Watching the landscape change is exciting. In a world where we long for consistency, the unpredictability that our winters bring breaks up the endless schedules and to-do lists.
When we get snowed in, we are truly honest-to-goodness snowed in. We spend the day playing games and cooking together. It's often a welcome break from the world when things get snowy enough in Erie to shut things down.
Are You A Snowbunny?
What do you think? Do you live in a part of the country that sees multiple feet of snow every year? Or are you satisfied with a dusting? Would you want to visit us here in Erie to take in the full experience of a lake-effect snow storm? I'd love to hear how winter inspires your creative process! Do you love to incorporate your local weather into your writing? Comment below!
