Over the river and through the woods
To Grandmother’s house we go.
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through the wide and drifted snow.

I am retired and live in Hawaii after teaching and administering for the school district in Los Angeles for many years, but I grew up in Western New York near Niagara Falls. I remember the vivid snowy days, where we had lots and lots of snow from about November through the end of February and into March. We had a couple snowmobiles and us kids would zip around the neighborhood and through some wilderness behind our house.

I always attributed the snow to the holidays, especially Christmas of course. But for several years now, although they still get big snow storms that blow in off Lake Erie and Ontario, especially near Buffalo, the snow, as I have been told, doesn’t stick around now, always melting within a few days because of temperature variations. So the kids in Western New York don’t get to enjoy snow on the ground like I had, and a white Christmas is a coin toss. Something has definitely changed.

Although I loved the snowy season, especially when school was cancelled (snow days), I now can swim in the ocean with the dolphins and the occasional curious shark, year-round. Some crazy kids, however, will snow board up on Mauna Kea in the mornings and go surfing in the afternoons. I’ll just sit on my Lanai, watch the sunset, and sip my Mai Tai.