My daughter has observed with some amusement Panola County’s great 2011 snow. She and her husband Phillip are now in the middle of their fifth Milwaukee winter.

Ironically, Milwaukee is experiencing far less snowfall this year while the rest of the country — even the Michigan coast just the other side of Lake Michigan from Milwaukee — has been digging out from under the stuff for days. With more to come.

With the Mississippi forecast calling for warmer temperatures and rain by the weekend, our snow will soon be gone, which is the difference between here and there. That snow that we see pushed up into mounds in parking lots and on roadsides? It becomes such a problem in Milwaukee, I’m told, that the piled up snow blocks vision at intersections. They’ve even resorted to loading it onto empty southbound rail cars, she said.

Nevertheless, we Panola people have enjoyed our snow. For many, this has been the first big snow of their lifetime. We know that you’ve made the most of it, because you’ve sent us photos of snowmen, women, animals and just plain snow scenes.

Your photos show the giddy smiles of kids having snowball fights and the excitement in young faces with cheeks made rosy from the cold.

Rita, our news editor, found photos from a similar snow that occurred in 1985 and used them to create today’s Blast From the Past page (A6).

It must have been that same 1985 snow that Amy Wilson recalled as a youngster. I was visiting the Tri-Lakes West Campus and she told me about the school holidays that accompanied that big snow. Her mother, Becky Jolly, was working while Amy and her sisters stayed at home.

When her mother returned home at the end of her day she was furious, Amy said, because she had been trying to call home and had received a busy signal every time she called for eight hours. That was long before anyone ever heard of call waiting. Amy and her sisters had grown tired of playing in the snow, so they came inside and amused themselves by talking with friends on the phone, much to their mother’s growing ire, they were soon to learn.

Not that snow is fun only for the young. My 89-year-old mother told me that she became so excited about the Sunday evening snowfall that she got up three times during the night to make sure it was still there.

 And what about the snowman contest? As your photos began to arrive in our office Monday, our creative staff saw opportunity for the impromptu contest. Judging from the online comments, it was universally enjoyed. Almost.

MMH stated:

Thanks to all who entered and to The Panolian for hosting this contest. What a fun way to celebrate our rare Mississippi snow! I appreciate all of the contestants’ efforts in building the snowmen, photographing them, and sending the pictures in to The Panolian. Speaking from one who barely even stepped out of the house due to the frigid temps, and much less considered building ANYthing out of snow, you’re all winners to me!

J. Moore longed for more stringent contest criteria:

It makes me sad to see that you didn’t give the children in this contest a chance. Looks as though you picked all snowmen made by grownups. Personally I think all 34 should have been submitted for voting.

And “Can’t Believe It” took exception to one of the snow people’s rather unabashed pose:

Can’t believe that the Moonin’ Snowman was chosen as a finalist for this contest. And from the results of the poll, seems to be winning. Goes to show you the mentality of the adults in this town… This is very inappropriate. What message is it sending to our children. The snowman itself is not the problem, it’s the act that is being performed. No wonder our children are so mixed up.

To which, at least two comments took exception:

C’mon folks, lighten up… It’s just for fun! urged Lucille Bluth.

Come on folks stated:

Give me a break people. Moonin’ snowman is hilarious… some folks just need to let their hair down and enjoy life a little. Snow lady was my choice but moonin snowman was great!

You get the idea.

But lest we give the impression that all of the contact we’ve had about the weather has been frivolous, you should know that one caller told us that he lived in a trailer on a rural road. His electricity had been cut off for whatever reason, he had no propane in his tank and was attempting to warm the place with a kerosene heater. That was Wednesday. The night’s low was forecast as a single digit.

We called Deputy Sheriff Lt. Earl Burdette for two reasons. In the first place, Burdette has demonstrated a heart for people affected by the extremes of summer heat and now winter’s cold. His efforts to collect firewood for the elderly are well known. We also thought that if the need was not legitimate, Burdette could spot it quickly as a ruse.

As it turned out, Burdette determined that the need was real and that the couple needed a warm place to stay Wednesday night. He arranged for a motel room that night and on Thursday made a partial payment to allow the restoration of electrical service to the trailer. He was also seeking a propane delivery to the site.

Without giving prior warning to Burdette, I’m going to tell you that he did this partly out of his own pocket. The need was immediate. He was not going to leave the couple in that cold place to spend the night.

We need to remember that if more bitter cold returns in a cycle following the warm-up forecast for this weekend, there will be more calls for immediate help from people for whom cold weather — especially if accompanied by snow and ice — is a dire threat.

We’ve had fun during this unusual Mississippi snow: Snow creatures of every description, snowball fights, sledding on real sleds and a plethora of makeshift sleds, making snow ice cream. When next October arrives, don’t be surprised if there’s a mini-baby-boom.

But don’t forget that we’re privileged to be able to enjoy fun in the snow. If bitter cold and snow return, many people — mostly those who are usually unseen among us — will be struggling. Lt. Burdette will among those trying to find them and meet their immediate need for heat. Give him a hand if you can.