The old delights of snow are to a certain extent behind me. The odds are, after all, 71.4286% in favor of the day snowed upon being a weekday – and the flood shall engulf the earth before an employer will decide a trifle like weather merits paid time off. So snow no longer brings the delightful frisson of sanctioned truancy. The sun sets as I drive home and past the snow I don’t have the time, or truly, the inclination, to play in. It is hard indeed to summon the desire for a snowball fight when you know full well the laundry and floor-mopping that will ensue!

Now snow has other joys, some I’ve had since childhood, and some very new indeed. My very own house sits warm and protective amid the white drifts, and I can peek out onto the scene. I can laugh silently at the contrast between the excuses of those who call into work afraid to drive on snow, and the excuses of those who call into work unwilling to put up with ‘idiot drivers who can’t deal with snow’. I can snuggle into the melty-soft hat and scarf my sister bought me for Christmas, and feel both pampered and pretty. I can study the footprints in the snow on campus, and see that Coyote is still here, though I have only seen him once. I can boil water for hot cocoa and peppermint patties. I can tuck my blankets about me as I sit on the heating vent, inches from the white waste without, and feel the cold reflecting off my smile.