The weekend snow that occurred in all 100 counties in North Carolina on Jan. 31 was close to historic. The last time every county in the great Tar Heel State got snow on the same day was in 2010. According to the North Carolina State Climate Office, a White Christmas occurred in every county 15 years ago. Some counties had as much as a foot of accumulation while others had much less. Some of the mountain areas, northern areas and the Coastal Plains recorded the most snow that day.
While snow amounts differed in all parts of the state, the North Carolina Outer Banks was hit with a “bomb cyclone” and significant amounts of snow, causing blizzard-like conditions. A beach house fell into the Atlantic Ocean, after the nor’easter slammed the coast. The scene was almost unbelievable. The state climate’s office reported there were 12 to 15 inches along the Outer Banks.
At one point Friday, Jan. 30, the news we might receive up to 9 inches of snow in Rutherford almost made me panic and when it didn’t happen, I was thankful. Snow is great, but too much snow can cause problems, especially with the low temperatures and threats of power outages and the chances of people not being able to be warm.
The beauty of the fluffy snow as it fell continuously throughout most of Saturday was stunning and safe. I was also pleasantly surprised at how delicious the snow tasted when mixed with milk and vanilla flavoring for a hearty bowl of snow cream.
It had been a long time since I made snow cream, and it was the tastiest I remember.
Many of my friends posted on Facebook their bowls of snow cream and talked about how tasty it was and how the snow cream brought back childhood memories.
We didn’t buy ice cream at our house, ever, unless it was a special occasion, so having snow cream was an absolute treat for the Gordons. As I was mixing my snow cream, I could see our Mama standing at the kitchen table before a very large container of snow and mixing it with milk, vanilla flavoring and dabs of sugar. With a family of six we had to gather lots of “clean” snow for the winter surprise. Some may not relate to such joys of snow cream, but I have an idea many of you can.
When I saw another post on Facebook of a little boy playing in the snow, more memories flowed. Christopher, 2, was playing outside in the snow and I noticed immediately on his little feet were plastic bags securely tied around his little shoe boots. That scene brought back memories of the days my sisters and I tied plastic bread bags around our regular shoes. We certainly couldn’t afford snow boots, but with our regular shoes covered with plastic bread bags, we were ready to trek over to the pasture hills in search of the best hills to slide. Thick socks kept our hands warm.
Sleds were also unheard at our house, but we had cardboard boxes. After breaking the cardboard box down, we’d literally fly down the pasture terraces on a flat piece of a box, wondering how we would be able to stop. Sometimes, it wasn’t pretty.
Also on social media, I loved seeing the photos of little children, middle-size, the big kids and yes, even adults, tackling hills at the golf course and some in pastures having the times of their lives.
One group of grown men found their seats in a “jon boat” and headed down a hill in Ellenboro.
For the second consecutive week, churches were closed Feb. 1 as roads were unsafe to travel. Sunday, for me, became such a quiet day of gratitude with the beauty of the snow and the return of so many vivid childhood memories.
Even without snow boots, sleds and insulated snow coats, gloves and hats, we had the best of times on a flat piece of cardboard with our shoes warmly wrapped in plastic bags. After our outdoor fun, awaiting us inside was the warmth of a fire and the best bowl of homemade snow cream in the world.
Looking back, we were among the most blessed. We didn’t know at the time just how rich we really were.
Jean Gordon is an award-winning journalist, having spent nearly 49 years covering Rutherford County or two local newspapers.
