snow!!

We live in northeast Ohio, on the edge of the snowbelt. We frequently get what they call lake-effect snow, which causes great piles of the white stuff to accumulate quickly. Local news stations still think this is news - broadcasts are filled with radar images, weather alerts, and footage of snowplows and people wearing parkas and scarves up to their eyeballs. They go out into the elements for "man on the street" interviews, asking, "How do you feel about the weather?" The most common answer (accompanied by a shrug) is: "Eh. This is winter in Cleveland."

My neighborhood verges on Norman Rockwellian prettiness the morning after a snowfall. With the sun out, everything sparkles bright and clean. People are out shoveling their walks for the mailman, rosy cheeked kids can be seen trudging down the street, cutting through drifts, carrying their sleds to the big hill behind the city hall. And if you're bold enough to peek at a neighbor's windows, you might be lucky enough to see a little cat named Fae...

(click to embiggen the tiny cat enjoying sunspot and snow)