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| [image courtesy of Unsplash] |
Parts of the world, including the U.S., have been shivering in a deep freeze lately. Yeah, I know those of you Down Under are trapped in a miserable heat wave. (Too bad we can't find a happy medium, huh?) It hasn't been too bad here in Georgia yet, but it's been plenty cold enough for me. (I didn't see a single person in shorts and flip-flops at the grocery store the other day!) No snow here, either, but some of you have snow up to your... well... LOTS of snow. The Super Bowl will be coming to town in a couple of weeks. Let's hope Mother Nature doesn't decide to toss a monkey wrench into the works by staging an ice storm like she did the last time the Super Bowl was held here.
Back to Calvin's tiny miracle of nature. Snowflakes really are beautiful, aren't they? Especially those big fat wet ones. How odd that some people have co-opted the word in an attempt to use it to disparage and vilify people with beliefs that don't mesh with their own. Really? Snowflake? That's the worst they've got...? Never mind. Their intention is bad enough, but it doesn't faze me, because nothing anyone says can detract from the beauty of a snowflake, and if you think about it, we're all kinda like snowflakes. Supposedly, there are no two snowflakes alike, and that's true for people, too. We're all unique and beautiful in our own way. Kinda like winter butterflies. (Okay, okay, so butterflies don't pile up on the ground and have to be cleared away with shovels and plows... but you know what I mean. We're all beautiful like butterflies. Sheesh.)
I'm not saying I like snow. Or winter.
But snow's beautiful. To look at. Preferably in pictures.
And snowflakes? A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together. [unknown origin] And that's true, whether you're talking about those big wet beautiful flakes floating through the air or the flesh-and-blood activists attempting to fight injustices.
Okay, enough of that. I have no intention of dipping my toes into political waters. Let's move on to find a few giggles in these cartoons:
This last cartoon is more appropriate in our neck of the woods. (And I'm okay if it stays that way!)
I'm not the only one who doesn't wax nostalgic about the joys of shoveling snow. Lot of people prefer more moderate temperatures. Like Dave Barry, who said, The problem with winter sports is that, follow me closely here, they generally take place in winter.
Of course, some people... and animals... LOVE winter and winter sports...
How about YOU? Do you like cold weather and snow, or do you prefer heat and sunshine? (Or are you more like me, and prefer something in the middle... picky, picky, picky...)
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
I found two snowflakes that were identical, but they melted before I could get a picture.
ReplyDeleteI think the term "snowflake" used to today does not represent belief so much as a degree of fragility which is like a snowflake.
Well, darn, I guess you'd better have your camera ready the next time it snows. :)
DeleteMaybe SOME people use the term to denote fragility, but it's said with utter venom and condescension. It certainly isn't intended as a compliment.
I am longing for a small, localised ice age. I would also be very happy to be a snowflake - alone or in company.
ReplyDeleteLove Calvin, and all of the cartoons.
I hope that nature leans a little more to the moderate side of things for you - and have a wonderful weekend.
With as hot as it's been in your part of the world, I don't blame you for wanting a cold snap. Shhhh, but I think you ARE a snowflake... :)
DeleteYou have a wonderful weekend, too, and I hope you see some welcome moderation in your weather very soon.
I'd prefer something in the middle. Warm days and cool rainy nights.
ReplyDeleteI saw a small segment on the news last night where a man somewhere in the USA cleared his snow filled driveway in seconds by using a home made flame thrower. I thought that was pretty clever. Dangerous, but clever.
YES! Warm days and cool nights sounds perfect to me, too. Cool enough to be able to sleep with the windows open.
DeleteI dunno if clearing snow and ice with a flamethrower is clever or stupid. (Before doing it, did he say, "Hold my beer!" ?) HA
Since these frigid winter temperatures presently have me in a frozen state of acute lethargy and depression, I welcomed all of the snowman cartoons - which had me laughing almost hard enough to warm up (....but I won't thaw out completely until July....)
ReplyDeleteI've lived in hot climates and cold ones. I absolutely HATE hot climates - - but I'm not particularly in love with frigid ones, either. I prefer the temperature to be moderate and mild, consistent, with relatively low humidity.
And if there happens to be any winter snow, I want my snowman to melt quickly.
Is it still legal to say "snowman"??
I should probably be politically correct and say "snow person".
Sorry it's been so frigid in your neck of the mountains, but hopefully, you'll see a thaw long before July. By then, you'll be grumbling about the heat and bugs. :)
DeleteYes, moderate and mild weather suits me, too, but I can handle the cold better than the heat. (At least, the kind of "cold" we get here in Georgia.)
Sure, go with snowman. (Although, I once made a snowmoman in our back yard, just for the heck of it...)
Fun snowmen! I think I prefer moderation in all things. I don't like temperatures too hot or too cold. Snowflakes are indeed lovely, though. Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. Moderation in all things suits me perfectly.
DeleteYou have a wonderful weekend, too. Hugs back atcha.
I like snow from a warm window. I hate to drive in it. I'm a white knuckled nervous wreck.
ReplyDeleteI avoid politics too. Few listen and too many just get nasty. I may be a snowflake. :D
Abso-doggone-lutely! Observing snow through a window from a nice warm house is the best way to look at it. But I must admit, we get snow so rarely, whenever we get a dusting, I simply MUST go out and build a snowman, even if it's only a couple inches tall.
DeleteSnowflakes are my favorite people. :)
Snowflakes are great to look at in pictures, not so much when you have to drive in the crappy things though. Poor Frosty.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I don't wanta drive in snow and I sure as heck don't want to ever have to scrape a single shovel-ful of it again. I got my fill of that when we lived in Maryland. (But we still have our snow shovel under the house... it may be rusting away, but if we get rid of it... it might snow!)
Deletethank you for sharing many of funny snowmen.
ReplyDeletehave a great day
I'm glad you liked them. :)
DeleteYou have a great day, too.
There was panic in London two days ago. We had fifteen minutes of snow...
ReplyDeleteSome friends were in England from northern Queensland, Australia. Their kids had never seen snow but on their way back to the airpost they saw it with those huge flakes that drift very slowly down. Magical!
CLICK HERE for Bazza’s vivaciously Verdant Blog ‘To Discover Ice’
HA! That's what it's like here when it snows, too. In fact, if the weather prognosticators so much as predict a snowstorm, schools and businesses close and there's a mad rush on grocery stores to snatch up all the milk and bread.
DeleteBut yes... those huge flakes really are magical.
Got plowed again - that's a good one.
ReplyDeleteNo snow here although we've been plenty cold just north of you.
That one tickles me, too. :)
DeleteI hope this cold spell is short-lived. My daffodils are trying to bloom...
I don know, man … I don know, friend Sue … as cabin fever is a real thing … says this Alberta cat and cat Theo … https://youtu.be/T1IgHVvX2-0
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tour of your digs. All I can say is if you have cabin fever too bad, strap on your boots, zip up your parka, and take a walk about. :)
DeleteHave a terrific weekend!
Every winter I'm taken back by just how cold it can get. Snow is very much a part of our winter's here in northern Ohio. I try to enjoy it, but it's not my favorite season. So true Snowflakes are fragile but can add up to a powerful force. I'm thinking Spring here and trying to brighten up the days. Winter will not last forever, this too shall pass.
ReplyDeleteLove,
ma
Thankfully, it doesn't get as cold here in Georgia as it does there in Ohio, but I'm already thinking Spring. Our daffodils are almost in bloom, so that's a good sign. Then again, the worse icestorm we've seen since we lived here was at the end of February, so Mother Nature is gonna do what Mother Nature wants to do. All we can do is... let her. :)
DeleteSnow for an adult is seldom good news, but snow for a child is wonderful, especially when school is called off. For those under the age of 18, joy is hearing the words “Snow Day”.
ReplyDeleteAs you must know, I am a proud snowflake, and I don’t melt.
I loved the cartoons.
I well remember those snow days as a kid. Of course, even though it was "too cold" or "the snow was too deep" for us to walk to school, we didn't seem to have any problem playing outside all day. Frozen socks, frozen mittens, frozen pantlegs... (Remember those dungarees that were lined with flannel? Weren't they the BEST???)
DeleteLike I told Liz, Snowflakes are my favorite people. :)
Thanks for the marvelous cartoons! Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's gray and drizzly, high 40s to low 50s. It bothers some, but having lived with this climate for most of my life, it just registers as normal. Besides, why fight the seasons?
ReplyDeleteMy hubby traveled to the Seattle area on business trips many times over the years, and his only complaint about the area was that it was always gray and drizzly. On the other hand, our younger son was stationed at Ft. Lewis for a while, and he LOVED the weather there. The grayer and more drizzly it was, the better. I reckon no place can suit everyone, but like you say, there's not much point in fighting the weather. It's gonna do what it's gonna do.
DeleteYa, it's discouraging when folks on BOTH sides of the political aisle resort to disparaging labels. All great, some of these 'toons' made me laugh out loud. The weather gurus say we may have snow on Tuesday, but I'm not holding my breath I'll have enough to build a snowman. Such is life …..
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. No matter how often I see it happen, I still can't wrap my mind around the despicable state of so-called "civil" discourse. Name-calling only widens the divide.
DeleteIf you get even a dusting of snow, you can make a snowman if you want to. I made one a couple years ago that was about two inches tall. HA! If artists can paint on a single grain of rice, you can build a snowman with a few flakes of snow. (A large amount of imagination may be required...)
I remember all the snow I shoveled when we lived in Buffalo! I don't miss that, even though I admire how pretty it looks when freshly fallen snow covers everything while you don't have to go anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to a long stretch of some chilly temperatures coming up here in Florida. All that warm sunshine gets old after a while - ha!
I don't miss shoveling snow, either. Not even a little bit. But you're right about how beautiful it looks when the snow is fresh and undisturbed.
DeleteI have a feeling a lot of people would snort at you saying all that sunshine gets old. :) Enjoy the cooler weather. Maybe you can do hike all over Lakeland without breaking a sweat. :)
"Cold" out our way is when it dips below freezing for a little while. I can do without the shoveling and the travel disruption, but we get snow infrequently enough that it's still a delight to see. Turns the whole neighborhood magical. Until the power goes out :)
ReplyDeleteDipping below freezing for a little while would be enough of a "cold spell" for me. Snow is infrequent for us, too, so I get as excited as a kid when it makes an appearance, but I don't miss living in an area where snow hung around for weeks and weeks on end.
DeleteHA! Yeah, losing power gives us a whole different perspective on that "magic."
Don't scientists just ASSUME that no two snowflakes are identical? They haven't seen them all. I like mild weather, but i little on the cooler side!!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, but it's a pretty safe assumption, since each snowflake exists in a unique space and time with unique air conditions, etc. Then again, who's gonna check?
DeleteMe, too. The older I get, the more I prefer cooler temperatures. Not cold... but cool. (Like us! HA)
Stuck in Pennsylvania, as I am, we get our share of snow. Which is why I've decided to move to North Carolina as soon as I retire (for the second time. I retired from the Navy when I was 47. I needed to work). North Carolina. Which does get snow. Only the locals are woefully unprepared to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteNuts.
You get your share of snow there in PA, so moving to NC shouldn't pose any problems for you. The folks who live there may not know how to handle snow and ice very well, but YOU do. Besides, you'll be retired, right? So you can do the same thing we do when winter weather clobbers the Atlanta area: we stay home. :)
DeleteWinter is my least favorite season. It's just too bloody cold! The wind is literally howling here (Maine) today and there's still snow left over from a storm last weekend. Brr!
ReplyDeleteLove the snowmen cartoons :)
HA! You're not a fan of winter, and yet, you still live in Maine??? (Ever thought about moving a little farther south...?)
Deleteps the recipe for the tiramisu I made is: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018684-classic-tiramisu
ReplyDeleteCool! Thanks. :)
DeleteI still have a bit of winter cold running through my veins. I do like fresh fallen snow - not the weeks later dirty crap still frozen on your car. I just like seasons and coats and scarves. I'm a PA kid, not TX.
ReplyDeleteNo snow this week in Philly - just cold and some ice. Not too bad.
Have a good week - loved the Frosty cartoons
Hi-ya. I'm glad you didn't get snowed in when you went to Philly. You're right... there's a HUGE difference between fresh-fallen snow and that ugly slush that lingers for weeks on end. I don't miss it at ALL.
DeleteYou have a super week, too!
Cartoons are so funny! "Snow job" :)
ReplyDelete:) I'm glad you liked 'em.
DeleteThose little, individual snow crystals are beautiful. Unfortunately, they aren't quite as pretty all piled up in big bunches on our driveway and sidewalk. We have both the snow up to our...and the bitter cold, and I am ready for spring as I usually am about this time of year. Enjoy your Georgia weather! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's hard to believe those lovely little flakes can turn into such huge piles of headaches (and backaches) when they have to be shoveled out of the way.
DeleteThink spring!
Your parenthetical lament, "(Too bad we can't find a happy medium, huh?)", took me back a half-century to L.A. psychic, Louise Huebner's, memorable book-title "Never Strike A Happy Medium". We always look for humor in the world and some treasured artists --like you and Ms. Huebner-- are generous enough to provide it, unforgettably.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a terrific book title! I have a feeling I would like the book, too.
DeleteThanks, dude! We gotta keep looking for it, right? Sometimes it's a little harder to find than others, but it's always there.
Although I like and admire those little, individual snow crystals that look so beautiful … I'm not a snow lover when it comes to being out and about in it!
ReplyDeleteThe weather here in the UK has turned cold and many areas are experiencing some snow, but I don't think anything too heavy as yet.
Time for a nice bowl of warming soup :)
All the best Jan
You and me both!
DeleteSoup is one of the best things about winter. :) And chicken and dumplings, too. That's what we're having tonight.
All the best back atcha.
After living in Georgia for decades I only like snow for a couple of days. My eldest daughter who lives in Pittsburgh, PA, asked me last week if I would come to stay there for a few days as the snow was so high and pretty – I answered “send me pictures, please.” Moving to Tennessee is up north enough for me.
ReplyDeleteSame here. We've lived in Georgia since 1971, and we've seen less snow here in all those years than we saw in a typical winter in Maryland. Pictures work just dandy for me, too!
DeleteWinter may be my favorite season, but I can't deal with extreme cold. Thank you so much for sharing the comics!
ReplyDeletewww.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com
www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com
There's way too much extreme cold in parts of the country this year. Fortunately, the brief cold spell had vacated our area. For now. I'm glad you liked the cartoons. :)
DeleteI do miss the snow. Not the plowing, or worrying about family on the roads during it, but the way it falls. The way it adds light and yes, color during the gray days of winter, but now I have my ocean. I'm happy! And I still prefer to be cold vs hot. Yep, I'm picky too!
ReplyDeleteHappy Super Bowl Weekend!
I may prefer cool over hot, but I definitely like wet water over the frozen kind. Ocean all the way!
DeleteHappy Super Bowl weekend to you, too. Looks like Mother Nature is gonna bring us good weather for it. :)