MIDWINTER . . .

As I write this on Wednesday morning, the calendar reminds me that it's Groundhog Day! Given what the weather people are offering, Phil the Groundhog better keep his nose buried in his burrow until the current events pass on by.

Here in Northeast Indiana, we're prepared for 1-2 feet (yes, that's 12-24 inches) of snow in the next day and a half. Shoppers who waited this long to pick up "a few items" will likely be disappointed--shelves are pretty much down to the metal.

My last experience of being thoroughly snowed in was the Blizzard of '77-'78. Another memorable event--businesses, schools, and government offices closed. We lived in the country at the time, and I recall drifts over five feet high. Getting out our long lane to the road was extreme challenge--then once you got to the road, that was the end of the line. No county trucks or plows could get through. My husband made a mile and a half trip to the nearest grocery store on snowshoes, taking a back pack and bringing milk and bread to the neighbors and our family. 

I don't remember how long that storm lasted--up to a week, I think, but I bow to longer memories than mine. What I do remember are two things: I had hurt my back and had to lie flat for what seemed an eternity, and I started writing my first novel. The characters, setting, and most of the elements of the mystery were already rattling around in my head--all I had to do was start writing about them. With pen and tablet, I started out. That's my memory of the Blizzard of '77-'78.

(The novel eventually got finished--took me seven years, but I did it. My back recovered long before that.)

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I anticipate no special events this time around. The coronavirus has managed to find me, so I've been lying low--sleeping a lot, trying to eat enough to keep muscle strength alive, watching DVDs and YouTube to keep my brain awake (I think I'm getting better--everything I watch is beginning to bore me).

Today while I contemplate Punxsutawney Phil and watch the woods fill up with snow (thank you, Robert Frost, for that felicitous phrase), I'll try to give thanks for snow; must be something great about it, there's so much.

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You're on your own for entertainment. But if you find anything especially great, share it!

Until next time,

Blessings