Optimistic

Published on by Yinglan

wp-1453663898954.jpegWinter has hit hard this year. This is a picture posted by my cousin in China. That is not water, that’s ice which very soon turned to snow. Children are ecstatic there. They are making miniature snowmen. Even the adults are excited, but the cops, not so much. They’ve been pulling over and fining people for their stupid snow stunts like putting snowmen on the roof of their cars. So when they hit the gas pedal, all the snow would plop onto the ground, creating a mess for the drivers behind them. Stupid, right?

Even in my growing suburbia hometown in China is snowing. It never snows there. They named the city “Stone Fort” for the reason that bad weather tend to miss there. It’s like the Chinese version of California.

So snowing there is almost the equivalent of raining in the desert of Africa. Of course, everyone was excited but at the same time, they’re freezing especially with no furnace not to mention there are no heat isolation between the walls. The only things keeping them warm are layers of goose feather jackets, heated blankets, and portable heaters. I would show you a picture of my newest cousin but unfortunately, his mom is a fan of recording videos.

Spruce and Mountain

Meanwhile, it’s been unpredictably snowy here as in it snows and rains when mother nature wants and the January gray skies, fog, and haze are making me sad. Blue skies are harder to come by in January than in December or November. Actually, it’s not so much is snow as it is rain which when it hits the ground, it will become ice if the temperature is not high enough which almost always, it’s not. After enduring the painful ice-storm of 2013, my relationship with ice has become pure hatred and not just any kind of ice, I’m talking about black ice.

Black Ice

This was taken in the parking lot near the building where I work. I have to walk through this parking lot every time and it really scares me because there are some spots where I can’t even see the ice and that makes my steps very uncertain which then increases the chance of me slipping. Even those with super reflexes or coordination would fall on this ice. What anyone needs is a good pair of ice skating shoes to tread on this kind of terrain.

January 2016 Mountain

Finally, here is the usual mountain. I think of the years I have moved here, this is the most snow covered mountains I have ever seen. However, with the blue skies, it makes me hopeful and optimistic that spring will come soon and I can finally tread the sidewalks and paths with sure and confident steps.

Daily Post Photo Challenge – Optimistic

24 thoughts on “Optimistic”

  6. That’s pretty cool that it is snowing in China! I don’t blame them for being excited. That has to be pretty exciting! The photo with the mountain is beautiful! I hate black ice too. It’s hard to see that the asphalt is ice and makes it very dangerous.

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    1. Yeah, the world is changing! 🙂 Black ice is sure dangerous, not only to people but cars too. I almost skidded a couple times coming to school this morning.

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  7. Decent amount of snow here too (just to your west in the Sierras). It’s done much to relieve the drought conditions, and there’s been some decent skiing.

    Seems it also snowed in Tokyo (nowadays a rare, but occasional event) right after I returned to the US last week. Fun for the kids, but a transportation nightmare for the several million commuters who travel into the central city each day.

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    1. That’s good to hear about the drought condition. California’s had a tough few years. I didn’t know there’s snow in Tokyo but apparently, it snows in the rarest places nowadays. The world’s changing.

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