Yes, Snow

It is not my job to chronicle the weather, but yesterday's is of note.

Snow, three hours of it, 1.7 inches of it, big flakes, which did, after all, stick. My lawns and roof were covered and trees hung heavy with it, and all night its melt made noise on my decks and walkways. This morning the fence tops, roofs, and lawns are still white.

October 10, a record for early snow here in Boise. Leaves haven't dropped, haven't even turned color yet. These freezing nights should hurry that up, the coloring of leaves. We shall see. But the snow, not just a slight passing flurry. No. Big. A whole lot of snow and exciting to watch as it reminded us again of things we have no control over. I wonder what winter will be like this year.

Such a storm, in its remarkableness, is something of a misery to live through, especially if you're out in it. I was for a while--a fine time to go grocery shopping. Cold. Wet. Yes, it's remarkable, something we want to call people about and exclaim, "What is going on?!"

When it's over, we feel somehow proud to have been part of this new record, maybe want to be able to refer back to it some future day. "Remember that big early snow of 2008? October 10 it was. Remember?" That must be why I'm writing about it.