Here is a glimpse of Russian winter as I remember it from my childhood.

After long dreary autumn days drenched in rain and sleet you wake up one morning and rush to the window - the whole world has changed! Yesterday it was all gray, brown and boring. Today everything is covered with white coat of fresh pristine snow and your heart fills with joy: winter has come! I hurry to get dressed and get out to step on that white carpet.

My grandma used to say : if the snow falls on dry ground it will melt, if it falls on the wet ground it will stay for the whole winter.Of course we want it to stay - it's winter time! Then it would snow again and again and snowbanks would grow bigger and bigger.

It's somewhat cold but that doesn't keep kids from playing outside. We could play in the snow for hours, till our clothes got wet and covered with chunks of sticky damp snow turning into ice, snow stuffed in our boots, feet wet and cold, noses and cheeks blushed with cold air.

Sometimes the temperature drops down too much and they announce over the radio that children of grades 1 to 4 or 1 to 6 don't go to school today. That's great - we can stay home and do what we want.

I still love winter when it looks and feels like genuine winter, like those Russian winters in my life as I remember like something very special.

I remember magic evenings when everything is so still and quiet, just snowflakes slowly dancing softly fall to the ground.

When it snows it is usually not very cold. When the temperature goes down the air is frigid and crisp and the snow is so dry it is loudly squeaking under your feet and you Willy-nilly speed up your step and pull your scarf up to cover your nose.It's better to hurry up and hide in a warm house. You don't want to get a frost bite.

There are days when the sun is shining so bright it makes the snow sparkle as if somebody has thrown handfuls of diamonds around.

The forest behind my school is half asleep. Birches have lost there dresses and stand knee deep in snow waiting for spring. Fur trees feel very snug with fluffy snow on every brunch, they probably dream of Christmas.

Now I'm getting ready for my Iowa winter. After a good snowfall I will take my dog to the park to have some fun in the snow and he'll make a perfect companion.

The trees dressed up in white lace will surround us in silence. The cold clean air will rejuvenate and purify the soul.The enchantment of winter is eternal and doesn't know any boundaries.

The dog is the one who makes the most of it dashing in the snow.I will end up chasing him to put him on the leash and taking out sticky damp snow stuffed in between his toes. Then we'll slowly walk back home tired but satisfied.

Learn more about this author, Natalia Cramblett.
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