Snow Days!

Its snowing! I'm sure the excitement will wear off shortly, but right now it's like magic. Big, fluffy flakes are tumbling out of the sky and changing the shape, texture and colors of our familiar world. The grass in the ginah is now under a layer of white. There is something almost hypnotic about watching it fall out of the sky.

My son, raised in California and having never seen snow (except on one trip to Donner Lake, where the snow sat tamely on the ground) is enjoying this tremendously. We put on several layers of clothes and walked gingerly outside to the park in front of our apartment building. The snowfall, which had quieted for a moment, then picked up with enthusiasm and big flakes soon covered us, the grass, the plants, the benches and anything that didn't move. Taxis and moving cars seem to have enough forward momentum to brush off the clinging white stuff. The cars parked in our lot, though, are accumulating small drifts on their frames. The snowflakes that hit the asphalt don't seem to stick--both the parking lot and sidewalks are wet but clear. Maybe this means it will all have disappeared by tomorrow.

And I'm sure that's everyone's question--will there be school tomorrow? Native Jerusalemites tell us that the city grinds to a halt when there is snow....my ulpan teacher told us the key is to see if the busses are running. If the buses run, then school is in session; if not, stay home.

Ah, for a fireplace and hot chocolate right now!

Photo courtesy of Daniel E. Baron after the 2004 snowfall-photo of the moat at David's Citadel published by the Jerusalem Post