Sastrugi

Who uses it: Polar researchers and snow adventurers
What it means: "Waves" of snow; ridges of packed, dry snow formed by winds
How you can use it: When venturing out into the tundra.

Jen's snowplow man referred to Monday's snow as "greasy." I was going to use that term today, but found that most people use the phrase "greasy snow" to mean just that: snow that's mixed with oil or other scum on the road. Jen's snowplow man used it, however, to refer to a particularly slippery type of snow, which becomes slick when packed.

Monday's snow was greasy, but yesterday's snow was the "diamond dust" kind. The air was colder and drier, and the flakes gleamed like mica dust on the surface of the snow. Greasy snow is good for sledding and snowman-building, but the shiny snow is harder and rougher, and doesn't hold together as well.

Either way, Dizzy loves the snow. I wondered whether I was projecting my own fondness for snow onto him, but I'm not. At the cemetery yesterday morning, Dizzy could have stayed on the well-packed paths, but chose to plow through the drifts, instead. He likes to dig in the snow, and seems to think it's funny when it gets up his nose and he has to sneeze it out.