A Brief Bit of Winter

Since I’ve been in Sweden every Winter has been mild. Sure, there has been a bit of snow but it’s nothing like winter was in my childhood home of Buffalo, NY. I really thought it was going to be some kind of hinterland of ice and blinding powder that fell in non-trivial amounts from the sky. But it’s not…even my last base in the old country (Ann Arbor) had worse winters. The middle weather between pleasant and cold is one of dampness, wet winds, and slush. It really just sucks and it has me doing something I thought I’d never do: wish for a standard winter.

We had one for a week or so just now. Snow that crunches when you walk on it. Cold that freezes your nerve endings making things seem a bit more bearable. Clear, dry air and the ability to see crisp distances. I was out in the country (Gästrike Hammarby if you really want to know) and took a walk to appreciate it.