What you see is what we've got: well, in some cases what we long to see

I'd like to announce that when I turned the calendar over to February and looked out onto my yard, this is what I saw. It was a dream-----probably long deferred. I know that any groundhogs who had the nerve to inhabit this area ain't gonna see their shadows and more than likely not even the sky tomorrow.

I decided to deal with perspective a little today. So, I took most of the photos from inside the house. It's important for outsiders to know that we are truly being "entombed," as my mother calls it from her house. She was at her wit's end this morning when a big pile of snow came rumbling down and landed right on her living room window. She's definitely fearful that the snow could break the window.

I included a photo from last fall, which shows the antique manure spreader loaded down with flowers and another which hints at where the manure spreader is located on our north lawn.

It IS February, though, and this is the week that the black birds start showing up and the "CHEEZZEEBURGER" birds start singing their tune. So, at least the calendar brings hope if the view outside does not.

Schools are out again today all over our region; that even includes the universities, and when we think it's bad up here, I've heard it's a lot worse south of us where they've had the wind.

So, we humor ourselves along and do our best to think positive: this too shall pass . . . . but Lord only knows what will come after it.