A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
So, Michel Martin, I am here in gloriously sunny Los Angeles, watching all that snow fall on much of the central and eastern U.S. So what's it been like over there?
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
It has been cold, A (laughter). Shoutout to all the people who have to be out in it, especially the people who are out clearing the sidewalks.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
MARTIN: Thanks for asking.
MARTÍNEZ: Cold, wet, wintry, right?
MARTIN: It's pretty.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, yeah.
MARTIN: It's pretty, yeah.
MARTÍNEZ: So - OK, so here's a question I have to ask East Coasters - what are some of the favorite snow day activities?
MARTIN: Well, I mean, cooking, of course.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter) Yeah.
MARTIN: But cooking...
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, warm stuff.
MARTIN: That's right. But MORNING EDITION's own Ashley Westerman has a family tradition making snow cream. Here she is with the recipe.
ASHLEY WESTERMAN, BYLINE: One cup milk, half a cup sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla. And you stir that until the sugar dissolves. And after that, you add fresh snow in big spoonfuls.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter) Sounds delicious.
MARTIN: Well, I haven't tried it. But Westerman says she's been eating snow cream since she was a little kid growing up in rural western Kentucky.
WESTERMAN: And it is truly one of my most favorite things when it snows, and it always, always reminds me of home and my family.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, so that covers some food. What about some favorite snow day activities?
MARTIN: OK, so here are some of our other MORNING EDITION colleagues.
(SOUNDBITE OF SHOVEL SCRAPING)
UNIDENTIFIED BYLINE #1, BYLINE: Since becoming a homeowner, my tradition has been to shovel the front walkway and then shovel the front walkways of some of my elderly neighbors and then complain about back pain for about three months.
UNIDENTIFIED BYLINE #2, BYLINE: One of my favorite things to do when it snows is to break out the skis and ski in places where you normally wouldn't be able to, like down a driveway or in a hill, in my neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED BYLINE #3, BYLINE: So being from California, I never got to experience the joy of a snow day. But now, whenever I see it snowing outside, I always just have this immediate urge to go sledding with a bunch of people. I just think it's the perfect way to spend a snow day, and I hope to do it soon - this week - as the snow continues to fall.
ADAM BEARNE, BYLINE: My kids are 5 and 3. So when they see the snow, forget breakfast. Snowsuits right on the top of pajamas and off to this, the top of our favorite hill. Clara (ph), Callum (ph), you guys ready to go?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: Yeah.
BEARNE: Here we go on the sled.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: (Shouting) Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: (Shouting) Let's go.
BEARNE: Three, two, one.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: (Shouting) Go.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHILD SCREAMING)
MARTIN: Why aren't we out there with them, A?
(LAUGHTER)
MARTÍNEZ: You can. I'm glad I'm not.
MARTIN: (Laughter) OK. That's producers Phil Harrell, Claire Murashima, Mansee Khurana and Adam Bearne sharing their snow day traditions.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, you know, you heard Adam Bearne there. Last year - early last year around - I think it was, like, January, February, that was the first time - I was in Reno with Adam Bearne. We were on a reporting trip. That was the first time I'd been somewhere, Michel, where snow was falling. I'd never had snow fall on my face before.
MARTIN: You don't know what you're missing.
MARTÍNEZ: Oh, I know what I'm missing (laughter).
MARTIN: You do not know what you're missing.
MARTÍNEZ: I'm glad I'm missing it.
MARTIN: (Laughter) We could persuade you.
(SOUNDBITE OF DANI CATALA AND FLANEUR'S "SWEATER WEATHER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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