Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Fairy Tale Christmas

There are a few things that I have learned are not real. The Easter Bunny. The Great Pumpkin. Unicorns. Fairies, elves, and flying reindeer with glowing red noses. Things that make for pretty stories but that you never will encounter in real life.

I thought that snowflakes were one of these myths and legends perpetuated to make people feel just a little better about snow. After all, snowflakes don't look like this, now do they?

Our house is currently under three feet of snow, and a huge storm is expected to bring many more inches tomorrow. It's been snowing all day today, too, but not very seriously. The clouds are just stretching and warming up for the big day tomorrow. But as I was out attacking the glacier that is in our driveway, I noticed this snow looked a little different than any I had seen before. Sorta like instant potato flakes*. Then I looked a little closer.

Holy cow of the ancient milk goddess! THEY REALLY DO EXIST!

Look at these! I was afraid I wasn't going to get a good picture--but LOOK! You can see them in all their six-pointed wonder and delicate gorgeousosity! Here's a long shot:

And a close-up:
Did you SEE THEM?

And they made the teensy little tree we have out front look fabulous, too:

Close-up of tree branch:
Now it makes me wonder--what else is out there that I've taken for granted** is just a nice story we tell to make children's lives a little brighter? If I hear a prowler tomorrow night banging around in the house and attack him with the baseball bat that is under the bed, will I end up apologizing profusely to the Man in Red? Will he throw coal at me? Will he whip out his reindeer whip and go all manga on me?

Hmm. Merry Christmas to you!


*Which I never, EVER use. Oh no. I boil all my potatoes and mash them by hand. I grow the potatoes before I cook them, too. I have a potato field in my back yard, and a potato cellar in the garage.
**Another example of this is windshield washer fluid. It's something that I've always taken for granted, and believed would be there every time I pressed the button. However, it turns out if it gets cold enough, the stuff freezes. I had no idea. Apparently you are supposed to change the windshield washer fluid to a winter formula. Who would've guessed? (Also, if anyone has some really good tips about how to thaw out a washer fluid reservoir that is frozen solid, please let me know, 'kay?)

17 comments:

wynne said...

Sorry I haven't been around and checking out blogs lately. My reader is constantly at "100 unread posts," I swear. I've just been hanging with the family and trying NOT to be on the computer for long periods of time.

Still means you're loved, and hopefully I'll see you on your blog soon.

omar said...

"Also, if anyone has some really good tips about how to thaw out a washer fluid reservoir that is frozen solid, please let me know, 'kay?"

Easy! Drive somewhere warm.

That'll be $39.50.

Merry Christmas!

Acacia said...

Fantastic photos! I used to feel/believe the same thing about snowflakes until they used to fall ever so gently onto my navy blue wool coat in Idaho. Aren't they amazing?

As for the windshield washer fluid...if it's not totally full, pour some really (I mean re-Heee-leee) hot water into the resivoir and then drive around a while. Make sure to keep pushing the button to empty the resivoir, then fill with the good stuff. Or, park the car in a warm garage (warm being relative to the temp outside, which, where you live is pretty damned cold right now) for a day, then drive around a while and empty the resivoir. Good luck!

Acacia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
wynne said...

Sarcasm will get you nowhere, you stinky lil' ninja Omar. (Even if I did think it was funny.) Matter of fact, just for that, you'll probably get another 10 inches of snow on your driveway tonight.

wynne said...

Lady of the Thorny Trees--I guess I just can't get the water hot enough. Or the car engine hot enough, for that matter...of course, it's only 9 degrees outside right now...

It may warm up to be 30 or so on Christmas. Maybe I should boil some water and try again then...if the roads are actually plowed and I can actually get the car off this hill to drive it somewhere, that is...

Melissa said...

Those pictures are awesome! I bet you could pick those snowflakes up and throw them like ninja stars!

Melissa said...

As for the wiper fluid... I have no idea. We always just used the stuff that's not supposed to freeze. I didn't know they made stuff that could freeze! That's what happens when you grow up in Idaho. You live a very sheltered life.

Millie said...

That snow is GORGEOUS!

Are you sick of it yet?

Anonymous said...

Great pictures!

Super Happy Girl said...

Holy cow of the ancient milk goddess oh a bicycle! Those are awesome pictures.

I remember the first time I realized the little shapes snow comes in (as in it never ever snows in Mexico so I had no clue)
I just couldn't believe it.

Anonymous said...

Hee hee! I didn't notice the shape of snowflakes until I moved up to the northwest either (I took it as fact from science class but was a tad incredulous until I observed it). I also didn't start driving until I lived in Idaho so I wasn't aware that there was a kind of washer fluid that froze either- though the tips of the squirts used to freeze over on my old Mustang. I'd just keep stepping on the squirt-pedal until the fluid blew through and de-iced the windshield. I'm lazy. ^_^

Marie said...

That snowflake picture is just too amazing to be true. You totally doctored that thing. We know how good you are at graphics editing. 'Fess up, you.

I didn't even know that any normal people mashed real potatoes anymore -- I thought it was a lost art, like canning peaches. My wise mother knew her life was worth too much for such labor and so managed to hide from us until I was a teenager that most other children were getting real mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.

Of course, if you put garlic and melty ribbons of cheddar cheese in your fake mashed potatoes, they are no longer a lesser substance. Clever, Mom.

Carrot Jello said...

Where are you? Did they throw you out with the wrapping paper?

Marie said...

Come baaaaaack!

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Sandra said...

Love the snowflakes, beautiful as they are. I'm getting tired of mine maybe we could trade! :)