I could have missed it had I not 
mistakenly pulled my curtain apart when I noticed that the colour outside was not what it was less than an hour earlier. In any case, I’m glad I pulled back the curtain because the snow, even though not as much as in the other parts of the country, was a wonderful reminder of the seasons, and why it is called a White Christmas. I’m glad that we don’t have a blizzard. It’s little enough to impress, so far, and plenty enough to look like a real White Christmas. Here are a few of the shots.
…just like they said it would, although it didn’t last for up to an hour, and didn’t make any impact on the ground.
And it was dark, so I was able only to take these few snapshots of them as they floated down in white flakes from the sky.
This is my first experience, and it wasn’t so spectacular. But it reminded me of a song by Jim Reeves though, titled Snowflakes.
You can listen to the song here
It won’t take a genius to know that we will have snow here in Edwardsville sooner than expected. It’s not in the forecasts yet, and no tv station is screaming for schools to prepare for a downpour, but from the feel of the weather this evening, from the descending fog and the moisture in the air, I am convinced beyond doubt that it will be any moment now. It feels like late December in Ibadan. It feels like Harmattan in Jos. It feels like that drizzling night at Eldoret, with the four of us in that campus residence, playing chess, taunting each other, finding all what we could to deal with our individual absences. It was cold then as it is now, only that now, there is no rain. Only a gradually freezing temperature with a damp feel, and the trees have all shed their leaves.
I think of the animals. The squirrels behind and around my apartment have been coming out more incessantly nowadays to shop for food. Even for them, it is only a matter of time before the freezing cold, and the outpouring of snow will send them to perpetual hibernation. The herd of deer that I see every other day on my way to the University will also have the environment to deal with. The forest is naked of leaves, and only thin branches and stems stand there. They would most likely have to move to a different environment, except of course the University authorities declare a hunting season – which is already long overdue by now anyway, and allow interested parties to take the animals down.
Fall will be packing up soon, and winter will be here. I can’t wait. Bring it on.
I think today is the coldest I’ve experienced so far in Illinois. Looking at the weather temperature gauge, I am horrified by what I see and feel: it’s three degrees Centigrade! America uses the Fahrenheit system, and that would translate to something like forty. In Lagos today, it’s 86 degrees F (or 30 degrees C), yet as far as Illinois temperature is concerned, this is not even cold yet, but just the beginning. We’re still in the fall, heading towards the winter with almost zero degrees Fahrenheit. I still have plenty more days of sunlight before daylight savings time which comes with longer nights and shorter days.
Yesterday while looking through the photo album of a fellow FLTA in Colorado, I saw snow, and wondered aloud how this came to be. A little more inquiry tells me that I should indeed count my blessings. For right now, in October, the rocky mountain state of Colorado is already covered in snow. I can only imagine what it would be like over there in December, and February. Yes, I am counting my blessings even as I lay here freezing within a four-piece clothing that marks me out like a Soviet spy, and with smoke coming out of my mouth as I speak.
Lying in bed, I wonder why I no longer find warmth within its soft embrace. It used to be where to go and hide when everywhere else got cold. Now the cold bites more even from within the folds of the bed spread. One thing is sure now: I’d most likely spend more time in the hot shower now than I’ve done before. And sad but inevitably, the days of my bike riding are coming slowly to an end.