This is word from the frozen North of America. We are up to 4 degrees below zero this morning. We are not truly snowed in, but local schools, my college and many other places are closed because of the extreme cold. I think that Alaskans are probably laughing at what they see on TV of our panic at the cold, much as we laugh at places that stop everything over a few inches of snow. It isn’t the snow that bothers us here in northeast Ohio, but rather last night’s 10- temperature and the way our windows have frost on the inside until the sun melts or that the furnace never seems to stop or even slow down. This is cold weather, for sure. This is not a natural disaster, but a natural slowdown in the pace of life for most of us up here.
This morning, we can get out and go anywhere as the roads are clear. We just don’t want to. The snow has stopped and the sun is pouring in. (This makes me know I need to vacuum my floors. You miss that kind of thing during the low light of blizzard days.) Looking out the window, I can contemplate a trip to the grocery store. Opening the door, however, makes me think about what meals I could pull together with what we have. Our constant prosperity makes all of this bearable and even almost enjoyable.
But I really must go feed the birds.
