I once had a secretary who grew up in Buffalo, NY. She told me horror stories of enormous snowfalls, usually caused by “lake effect” winds. Being from South Georgia, I cannot conceive of living under snowfalls that rise above roof gutters so you cannot open your door. I do know, having visited up North, many homes there have vestibules. These small anterooms serve as something of a decompression chamber against the brutal weather outside and the warmth inside the house. Vestibules are a welcome home feature for those living in such harsh weather.

I had not been living in Atlanta very long when the area suffered “Snomegeddon.” Interstate ramps and lanes were jammed with jackknifed tractor-trailers; vehicles of every kind were found twisted, ditched, sideswiped, and otherwise stranded. The entire Metro region was almost completely gridlocked. Various news readers and reporters–I hesitate to call them journalists–scoffed at us Southerners who didn’t know how to drive in snowy weather. (I resist gloating over how our friends up North have been managing recent blizzards.) How would a cut of a news story of their snow event work here?

Even though brutally wintry weather makes life difficult, it is possible to live under such conditions and find fun and joyful activities. State transportation operations are becoming better at anticipating and acting on snow and severe weather events. Cities and towns provide ice skating facilities; ice hockey is popular, and abundance snow falls provide opportunities for beloved recreation activities.

Safety conditions for winter fun the world over continue to be improved, as modern technology and improved training develop. When my grandchildren were young, our families went to a ski resort in Colorado. It was my very first experience at a ski resort. I was impressed by the care and attention to safety that the staff gave to our grandchildren. They had a barrel of fun, and nothing in their snow experience troubled them.

The Scout Troop I worked with several years ago went to Rabun County, GA (yes, that is Georgia), for a fun day of Snow Tubing. Large numbers of children and young people were enjoyed riding the lift and snow tubing downhill. By the time the day ended, they were exhausted but thrilled by the experience.

Critics of other places must take note of the old maxim: “There is enough of the bad in (where we live) and enough good in (other places) that it behooves none of us to be critical of others.”

©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2026