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Пух

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By Culbert Report
I'll give you three guesses...

No... it's not snow...

It's not frost...

It's not even cold!


It's пух (pookh)!

I definitely did a double take walking by the window the other day.  If it hadn't been over 70 degrees, I might have believed it was an early June snowstorm.  The cotton pollen was falling so steadily, leaving banks of white fluff over the grass, cars, and curbs, I was tempted to grab the sled and try it out anyway.  

This feathery, cottony pollen has been floating around town for weeks now.  The season of "пух" can last up to two months here and seems to grow more predominantly in the northern areas of Russia.  Thankfully no allergies have surfaced with it, even though it can quickly fill a room if you accidentally leave your window open.  By far the best trick we've discovered (dedicated to all of you pyromaniacs out there - you know who you are Louise, Bush, Justin, and Beffy) is to light one end of a пух trail with a match and in seconds, the entire brush has puffed out of existence leaving no trace.  It's amazing how far a пух train can carry you.  Plus, it's really fun to say:  pookh. 

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Unknown said…
Love reading about PYX! Awesome blog! I MISS RUSSIAN LIFE WITH YOU!!
June 09, 2010
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