Flakier than a snowstorm.

A long time ago I heard a man apply the above description to a woman of my acquaintance and for some reason it just tickled my funny bone to no end.

Anyway, that isn't the sort of flake I'm talking about right now. I love snowflakes and since I don't get to see any in my current location I'm going to blog about them.

Firstly, there is a recently revisited article by one Cecil Adams (linky-dink) describing in mathematical terms the probability of finding any two identicle snowflakes. He says it's possible since the number of flakes that have fallen over the course of time that this earth has been in existence exceeds the number of probable structural combinations for any given snowflake.

But how often do you think you'd find two that look exactly like each other?

I love this website (link) not only for the photographs of the flakes themselves, but the fact that they take snowflake making to a really crazy level, actually creating a machine and method to make "designer" snow flakes, adjusting simulated atmospheric conditions to create flakes with absolutely stunning results. (When looking at the designer flakes section, don't forget to use the index on the left side to see more galleries)

Some of my favorite memories of snow:

The first time I saw it when I was about 7. It looked so magical, sparkling in the street light. I couldn't even feel it hitting my skin and of course I tried to get some on my tongue but couldn't feel that either. After a few days the bushes across the street started to look like snack cakes, dark in the bottom and dusted with sugar on top.

Building an igloo at my grandparents' old house. They had this amazing hill in their backyard and we dumped a bunch of snow off of the retaining wall and then carved out a cave. I think only two people could fit in there at a time.

Seeing my first decently deep snow in Colorado. Someone told me tales of when he was a seven or eight. He would try walking on the hard surface of a nice deep snow, fall through, and not be able to see over the top of it while standing up. That would have been a cool snow to see.

My absolute favorite way to enjoy snow is to sit in a small room with a good book and good blanket, open the window, smell it, enjoy a cup of lemon tea, and listen to it as it pours on the ground and trees. I love snow... but not the cold. :)