No Snowmen

It's been snowing off and on for weeks in Western New York State.

I've been walking and driving all over the area and so far, I haven't seen a single snowman!

Given that there don't seem to be kids outdoors anymore, this is not completely surprising.

But it's something like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.  

Life is vanishing outdoors.

The less people venture out into the winter, the colder the cold seems to be. It's like the reverse of air conditioning: The more refrigerated you are in July, the hotter and more unbearable the sun seems to be.

There are no snow forts either. Or snow balls.

Something is seriously missing. The world is a colder place.

Snow but no Kids

It has been snowing this winter. More than usual. But I noticed something missing. Kids.

There were no kids outside playing. None.

I'm pretty sure that all the children in this neighborhood didn't go away on vacation for three weeks over Christmas. No, I think they were home.  And indoors. Watching TV. Playing video games.

What happened to sleds and skis and cross-country skis and snow boards and snowballs and snowmen and snowforts and snowcones and skating and... ?

I guess it's warmer to ski using your WIIIIIII.

Just this evening, I noticed that Harbin China holds an ice festival. Apparently they've been doing it for 25 years. It's cold there. I mean C O L D. 19 below zero? (Don't know if that's C or F, but either way, it's cold.) 

There, they build huge ice scultures that are all lit up. And they have fireworks displays (in the cold), and there are LOTS of kids and other people running all over the place oooohing and aaaahing at the amazing ice sculptures. In fact, there are more than 800,000 of them enjoying themselves in the freezing weather. Not sure if anyone dies there of exposure, but given the warm snow suits that kids were wearing, I don't think so.

Have American Mommies given up on putting their kids into snow suits? Putting on the mittens and wrapping scarves so tightly around their kid's head that she can't breathe? I guess it's easier to park them in front of a Nintendo.

The good part was that when I took a walk in the snow, there was no one else around. There were no footprints, no tire tracks, just several blocks of nice white, clean smooth snow with my breath frosting in the air.

But I miss the kids screaming and laughing.

Maybe they'll come back next time it snows. Or maybe I'll have to go to Harbin, China to see children outside in cold weather.