WHITE OUT!!!

...that is all I see right now staring out the window over looking the flat lands of Saint Peter, Minnesota...SNOW...and a lot of it. Drifts of snow slowly piling up...driving conditions getting worse...I hope the road home isn't closed due to visibility problems or I go "Slip Slid'in Away"....yep, a very different thought then my previous NYC transportation conundrums of "hmmm, I wonder if the N train is running express or local".

I have not lived in an area that has a truly defined winter for the past 18 years...and please know I am not complaining...but there is something to be said for a REAL WINTER. I have always believed in seasons...though if given the chance to live in an area with a constant state of warmth, please know I would not argue!!! BUT I do believe that seasons build character, adaptability and leave a touch of eccentricity.

Ok, OK, I have been in Chicago and New York for the past 18 years...but really those winters have NOTHING compared to Minnesota's blistering chill! I grew up on the wintry plaines outside of Mankato and clearly remember those winter nights when you could hear the wind howling outside as the temperatures dropped to 75 below (ok, that includes wind-chill)... AND to be back in it now...oh boy...it leaves something to be desired.

I haven't quite decided if I can bear this negative 18 below ass, freezing cold...I have been told that this has been the worst winter they have had in years...thanks Global Warming...boy can I pick em...BUT,I will say...as I stare out the window from the warmth of my library cubby hole the snow does bring out a kind of brilliant beauty that I don't quite remember appreciating as much when I was younger...OH but let me tell you...I can't wait for JUNE!

The road that leads...nowhere


A frozen fishermans dream...


Slipping away the moments that make up a dull day...


Total eclipse of the moon...no seriously

and in the intelligent words of Garrison Keillor... Minnesota is where...“All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.”