Snow brings out the children and the child in all of us.
Something magical happens when the flakes begin to whiten homes, highways and hedges, transforming their everyday ordinariness into a wonderland of beauty and possibilities.
We are called to action. “What shall we do?” even the biggest couch potato among us ponders.
Stir, stir, stir the milk, eggs and vanilla to make the season’s first snow cream?
Roll, roll, roll the ghostly drifts until Frosty materializes?
Pelt, pelt, pelt our loved ones with frozen missiles of glee?
Slide, slide, slide down the hills and roads of our neighborhoods?
Or, best of all for us newspaper junkies … snap, snap, snap photos on our cell phones?
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What did we ever do before cell phones had cameras? I have many memories of the Great Snow of 2000, but alas, not a single image of the two-footer. That won’t happen again.
Early Wednesday morning, I scurried to the whiteout that was U.S. 64 outside my home and began recording images/videos for posterity — and Facebook. I uploaded the flurry of birds and the marauding of squirrels at our feeders, the winter wonderland that had become my yard, the traffic (or lack thereof) on the highway, to The C-T Facebook page and asked others to do likewise.
Soon, folks from Seagrove to Sophia were sharing their images; snow totals — 3 inches in Randleman, 4 inches in Asheboro, 7 inches in Pleasant Garden, and the accumulations continued to climb; and updates on hazardous road conditions in their locales, including what looked like the worst pileup of cars on Interstate 73/74 I’ve ever seen.
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That photo came to my attention via a co-worker whose family received it from a local emergency worker, the latter lending some credence to its authenticity. Plus, we knew there had been some sort of crash on “220 above Randleman.”
We published it on Facebook (not print since that day’s edition was already at the printer) to find out if anyone had witnessed it. Immediately, the flurry of comments came fast and furious:
I saw this the last time it snowed. Someone tried to say it was in Laurel Hill, NC and everyone from that area knew it wasn’t. It was in Connecticut.
There is no where on 220 between Asheboro and Greensboro that looks like that landscape. Look at how deep it is in the middle of the road. Obviously this is not in our area. And if you enlarge the picture that someone else posted you can see the sign that says “Middleton city limits”.
A cousin in Martinsville, VA, tells me it is 220 in that area.
I live in the Bassett (Va.) area and this is no where on 220 anywhere in any state. The jerk who posted it posted it a few weeks ago and makes everyone worry about their friends & family in this area. Just more fake posts to get attention.”
It took awhile to confirm with the N.C. Highway Patrol — obviously the troopers were busy with wrecks and stranded folks, talking to a reporter was less of a priority — but it turned out to be fake.
Ah, the beauty and bane of Facebook. Its connectivity and immediacy are wonderful, but unlike us, they don’t check for the truth.
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My favorite photos shared by readers were the still lifes of Mother Nature, breathtaking masterpieces of trees bowed as if in prayer, and lakes and rivers frozen into crystalline cathedrals. They reminded me — as if I needed reminding — that we are privileged to live in such a scenic place and we should take our caretaker responsibilities to heart.
In the snow everything looks pristine, like a fresh coat of paint has been applied. Hidden are the imperfections of humanity — ramshackle buildings, tossed-out trash and my personal pet peeve, discarded cigarette butts. The earth is not your ash tray, people!
True but disgusting fact: An estimated 86 million pounds of tobacco byproducts, filter tips and cigarette butts are littered each year in the United States. That’s 88,000 tons — 2 1/2 times the weight of the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington.
True but inspiring fact: In the past 14 years, first through Big Sweep and then Keep Randolph County Beautiful, local folks have collected almost half a million pounds of trash, electronics and other problematic waste, much of it from local parks, rivers and roadways. That adds up to 59,000 volunteer hours and a value of half a million dollars to the county.
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May I take a moment to shout out to those who participated in those efforts — the Asheboro City, Randolph County and Uwharrie Charter Academy students; county public works folks; workers at our various municipalities; the N.C. Zoo; Rotarians; other volunteers I might have missed; and “Mr. Trash” himself Bob Langston whose passion and Robin Williams-like humor and energy have led the charge to make a difference.
As Bob likes to say, it doesn’t take any special talent to clean up, just a dedication to do it.
While we bask in the afterglow of the prettiest snowfall to grace our area in recent memory, let’s renew our commitment to keep this corner of earth we call home as beautiful as we can.
To that we can all raise our cup of snow cream and shout, “Cheers!”
* Annette Jordan is the editor of The Courier-Tribune. Contact: 626-6115 or ajordan@courier-tribune.com.