Let It Snow!

It seems that I have spent more time shoveling snow this year than any other year in my life. And we haven't even reached the halfway point of winter!

Nineteen inches of the white stuff fell on New York City, bringing the city that never sleeps to a halt. Schools and many businesses closed because the streets and sidewalks are dangerous. My daughter cheered when I informed her early this morning that she would not have to go to school. She then immediately rolled over and went back to sleep, no doubt with visions of snowmen in her dreams.

Cars parked on the side streets are covered with snow and look more like a series of white mounds that are used in a ski mogul race. The way things are going these vehicles may not be freed until April. Prognosticators predict that this will be a record year for snow.

Our dog Cleo finds the conditions most challenging. She stands but eleven inches high and is dwarfed by the two foot snow drifts. If she steps in the white stuff she is buried. So Cleo shuns all attempts to take her for a walk. She would rather lay in a warm and cozy place, like someone's lap!

The East Coast has been slammed with record snow this season, from the Carolinas to Maine. Residents of Washington DC, once my home for more than ten years, endured great difficulties commuting last night. I constantly received Tweets from friends reporting their snail like progress as they headed home. It seemed that the average speed was about one mile per hour. NBC's Chuck Todd took four hours to drive four miles. Even President Barack Obama's motorcade encountered enormous traffic delays returning to the White House from Andrews Air Force Base. But rather than be frustrated by inconveniences, it is always better to enjoy the beauty of new fallen snow.

Daughter Zoe went out to capture pictures of mother nature's white coating on New York's Central Park. It is a phenomenal site to behold. The tree limbs are weighted to capacity with clumps of snow. Many pine trees have a dusting of white, as if from a painter's brush. And fearless joggers are undeterred as they stride unsteadily through the powder and mush. Talk about a workout!

And there is more good news just around the corner. The weatherman is predicting another blast of snow in the next couple days!