Frosty winters: memoir

Scenic view is the facade of my home in Azad Kashmir

☔I love winters-I really do-and every thing that comes along, allures me enough to recollect some precious memories I hold on to.

There was a time when I was being fascinated by snowfall, but not any more — not enough to run like crazy to any hill station(muree or sakardo or my home town), after being stuck for hours just to have a glimpse of snow.

Because I no more live in my home town, and I no more have a love for snow… Here comes the ‘memoir’ to tell you why ??

Please proceed ???

(Now you can dare to call me “be Zoq” ? I’ll take it , thank you ! )

I have a logic to explain, my entire childhood+ teenage + early adolesecence have seen the snow, and feel the snow, few months every year. I used to look at mesmerizing snow falling for hours. Constantly staring at it always gave me a feel of ascending higher and higher in the whirl pool of snow world untill I had to jerk my head to come out of the trance. So the point is I have felt the snow so deeply that I no more feel it . ?⛄

Secondly, the roof top of our home was sloppy ( still the same) and the snow flakes used to fell on to the large terrace in front from where we have to throw the snow away with the help of specially designed snow plows , to carve our ways to the exterior of house ?. It was my favourite activity for hours untill my feet and hands had been numbed.

(Had my parents not allowed me to do this I certainly would have left some love and craze for snow) ??

Living with the snow for months is something different than driving some kilometers to enjoy for few hours…..? Constantly watching everyday for the snow to melt so to revive the lives bless people with winter depression.

So snow is no more a craze for me except stopping a car for a while to have a glimpse and a shot if it has to come, by chance, on the way ?.

(Muree. On the way from Islamabad to muzaffarabad… )

Anyways, lighter note aside, few memories I still cherish are ?the mornings of the first snow fall and?the full moon nights of the snowy winter. First snowfall always used to come with a surprise. In mornings we had always rushed out of our beds to welcome the snow that had been already mounted to 2 to 3 feet in one night.

“Exterior view”

And the full moon nights were just love, my eyes had saved the nights forever. To give you my vivid recollection , Just imagine the full moon smiling ?as if enjoying the scene itself, radiating blue, turning silver upon reflecting from snow, just looking like perfectly creased bluish silver velvet flakes through out the valley and on the mountains. I never forgot the serenity of those nights, the strange stillness as if the time has stopped, the unending tranquility that used to trap me. Aah those nights…….?

You must be laughing that I just declared , I no more have a craze for snow still the entire post has been dedicated to the snow already .. ?…

One last shot of the wandering soul..

“The me”?

Ok no more frosty talks….. You probably would have chills now??

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you something my ammi used to make in winters , my family’s favourite “Alsi or sooji k laddo”, besides taste, main purpose was to make our bodies warm. Two or three laddos in a day were fair enough to make us warm.

I can share the recipe if someone asks for ….?

As the post is getting long but still two important changes if I don’t share will not justify the post ; comparing the time now and back then..

?The frosty nights in my childhood were so protracted, that I used to wish for mornings to come . Early to bed was the rule, then scrolling inside bed for hours – then turns on the right – then on the left – then straight – than dream – another dream – after dream then another dream but night would be still on … (Remember it was a world without internet, and I was not an avid reader of books back then)

Now we go to bed at 12 and hardly have time to read books. Above all, internet has made us insomniac….

? Secondly, albiet living in frosty winters, roaming around in snow all the day , I never got pneumonia, never had any intake of antibiotics, never sickened for long, never had any episode of winter depression, like seriously never.

Now , “halka say Hawa ka jhonka” and the kids are attacked, being rescued by dozing third generation antibiotics…

This is the difference. I had the hard soul and crest but my kids do not have. They are the farmed chickens, just a blow (phoooooo) and flew away ? ? ?

I have a habit of concluding things so here I go;

1⃣you can’t help but love snow forever, (hard to live but soft to feel) and the winter along with winter accessories like coffee,sweaters,peanuts and dry fruits.. will entice you always

2⃣ We should give some rough tough exposure to our kids to make them immune and hard cores.. otherwise phoooooo??

Happy reading ???