Snowflakes

Many parts of the country have already been blanketed with snow, and it's a  possibility for many others. The first snowfall always seems a thing of wonder to me. I like to see the sun sparkle off the crystals, and a whitewashed world is just special. My husband was living in Missouri when we met. He said he never wanted to see another snowflake. However, after living in the South for over a dozen years now, he's saying he can't wait until the first snowfall. I just smile.

Snowflakes are actually frozen ice crystals, which are bounced around in the earth's atmosphere until they get heavy and fall to the ground. The conditions have to be just right to make this happen. They're really clear-colored, like ice, but they appear white because of the way the light is reflected.

Do you remember cutting out paper snowflakes? A snowflake always has six symmetrical sides. It is believed that no two snowflakes are alike, which is pretty amazing. If there have been repeats, it's been very rare. The largest snowflake ever recorded fell in Montana in 1887 and measured 15 inches across. Now that's a big snowflake!

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