The Incredible Lightness of Snow
This bizarre image adorning Ha'aretz's article on snow in Jerusalem is just screaming out for a title:
The grinch is dead!
(Come to think of it, he does kind of look like the grinch, doesn't he. And he did a good job of trying to steal Christmas, too.)
Your suggestions welcomed in the comments.
And then there's this:
My incredibly pathetic snowman.
And finally:
Oy, God, you had to make it snow when I was here praying to you? Where's the respect?
I should say, I lived in Jerusalem - without proper snowboots or snowshoes of any kind - during the snowiest year in history on the record books. Which came about because I was packing for my trip on the hottest day of the year in Boston - it was 97 degrees and really humid and we didn't have airconditioning because everyone knows you don't need airconditioning in Boston - snort! yeah right! And when I came to my sheepskin lined boots I just couldn't imagine ever needing them again. Let alone in Jerusalem.
So that year in Israel we got five major snows. The Kinneret went from record lows to repeat flooding. The rivers flooded the valleys. Even St. Catherine's in the Sinai got covered with snow that year. But the spring was fabulous. Poppies blossomed everywhere.
It can get damn cold in Israel. The heating device situation may be improved now. But when I was living there, all the student types performed this little ritual. You wrapped your feet up just next to the electrical space heater you were huddled around because the heat was off in your apartment at that time of the day and you were freezing. And then, inevitably, when you didn't pull your feet away fast enough, the heater would toast a black hole in the blanket or socks or sweatpants in which your feet were wrapped. And sometimes light them on fire. I came back with tons of holes in my socks and sweatpants from that. And I made several small holes in the blankets as well.
My current opinion on snowboots is buy Canadian. Those guys really have an incentive to figure out the tech, which is why Canadian snowboots are the best. And really, if those guys can't figure out the best tech, no one in the world can. Well, maybe the Russians have equal incentive. But would you buy Russian-made snowboots?
In fact, a friend and her daughter came to stay with me just before they took off for Israel - her daughter was staying in Israel for a year of studying abroad. My big contribution - I told them my story about the 5 snowstorms, and reminded my friend - who had been my roommate one year when we were studying in Jerusalem for the year - just how cold we used to be in winter - our room had a huge terrace and lots of uninsulated glass. So we all traipsed off to buy her some Canadian snowboots at Harry's before she left for Israel.
I bet she is happy about that tonight.
posted by Alcibiades @ 7:33 PM
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