"Where Are the Snows of Yesteryear?"

THEY'RE HERE!


I was awake at 3:00 a.m. (Saturday) and looked outside to a snow scene, and I thought "Hey, it's snowing". Isn't that a profound thought? Since Thursday the radio news had been hammering away at the reality of a snowstorm headed our way. However, when I looked out again several hours later (around 10:00 a.m.) I was flabbergasted to see a scene similar to the ones above. It's been a long time since we've seen anything like this. We have at least 28 inches. Gorgeous yes, but treacherous. I pity anyone who has to go out, especially sick people trying to get to hospitals. Many hospitals are understaffed anyway, since everyone was snowed in. Streets were (and are) impassable. Shoveling this morning was useless, because by late afternoon it had piled up again.

Much worse than the snow is the freezing temperature. Being outside is not pleasant, as it usually is in snow. There are powerful winds and huge snow drifts. All in all, a good time to make a good cup of hot coffee and surf the net.

In D.C. hundreds of thousands were without electricity. Most airports were closed.

I've heard of two deaths - a father and son who stopped to help passengers injured in a car accident and were struck by a tractor-trailer that jack-knifed. Utterly tragic.

Another storm is expected on Tuesday. Could this be Year One of the Post-Global-Warming Era?

From Le Figaro: at top, a scene in Baltimore. Dogs love this stuff. Above, a park bench somewhere near Washington.

Below, from the NYT slide show, Broad Street in Philadelphia. It's lonely out there.