The Perfect Snowman

I have no idea how many words the Inuit people have for snow.  I imagine it's a lot, because even I am starting to have an idea about how many nuances there can be for the single word snow.

A recent snowfall was mostly light and airy with not too much moisture.  In other words, it was not good for snowballs or snowpeople, but easy to shovel.

We did have a wet, heavy snow a couple of weeks ago and soon after it, I saw the best snowman I have ever seen.  I had to wonder whether it was fake or maybe made from a mold.  Nope, upon close scrutiny, it was just naturally gorgeous.

I haven't made too many snowmen over the almost twenty years I have lived in snow country, mostly because I am no good at it.  It is extremely difficult it is to get a perfect circle even once, much less three times.  And getting the balls in the right proportion from big to small?  Impossible.

This is an example of a snowman that I might make.  It's an excellent effort for the four year old who actually built it, but it has its imperfections.

It's small,  about three feet tall, misshapen, only has one arm, and no face.

Meanwhile, three blocks away, the perfect snowman was somehow created.

Tall, perfectly proportioned, and beautifully atttired, every time I drove by it, I was amazed.  Those are actual pieces of coal (ok, charcoal) for buttons and eyes, carrots for a nose, and a lovely scarf.  The only item missing from Frosty are a hat and pipe.  I think they were probably originally there, but some windstorm blew them off.

Quality craftsmanship in the north.