Winter arrived yesterday, like an uninvited guest bursting through the front door: a storm dumped over 10 inches of snow here. While it’s true that snow falls silently, the result is all but calm.
Having lived in Minnesota almost my whole life, the sounds of winter are a part of my being; I know them by heart. A recent transplant or gobsmacked visitor might not recognize them, but every true Minnesotan {and others living in wintry wonderlands} know the sounds of being snowbound. See if these ring a bell, winter warriors…
- The ooohs and aaaahs of kids in the morning, dazzled by the winter wonderland.
- The thunk-scraaaaape-whoosh, thunk-scraaaaape-whoosh sound of a neighbor’s shovel at 7am.
- The crisp crunch of finely-packed snow and ice crystals beneath your moon boots.
- The earth-shaking rumble of a snowplow on your street {and the resulting squeals of joy from the whole neighborhood!}.
- The audible groans coming from the automotive aisle at Target, full of people staring blankly at empty shelves where jugs full of road salt once stood. Sold out. Of course.
- The screeching whir of car tires spinning in place, battling ice or stuck in snow.
- The vrrrum-vrrrum-vrrrum of a snowblower reporting for duty.
- The crunching of metal as cars collide – with each other, with stop signs, with mailboxes, with snowbanks.
- The thwap-thwap-thwap of kids’ snowpant legs rubbing together as they happily trek through the white stuff.
- The sloppy sluuuuurping of hot chocolate – a perfect treat after a day in the snow.
So, do you hear what I hear? Are there sounds I forgot to list? Wishing you a happy winter, wherever you are!
