What a wonderful world

Hi there! What's new? I can't say I've been busy, since Pittsburgh got about 29 inches of snow this last week. Just to give you a picture in your head about what that means, take wherever it is that you live, add 29 inches of snow, and then tilt various streets at different angles, 30-degrees and up to about 70-degrees, and then replace half the concrete with "pavers" (I would have called this "cobblestone" in Michigan), and then make sure that there's no parking (i.e. driveways) in 3/4 of the areas around the main city, so that people have to park on the street, and then have snow plows try to come clear the place out. Oh, and add constant snow and light wind, and also temps that go from freezing to juuuust above, and then back to 15-degrees or so. I'm not exaggerating.

About the streets, Pittsburgh is the only place I've ever lived (the only place I've ever known) where you actually couldhave walked to school uphill both ways. Someday I hope to live somewhere else (somewhere WARM) where I can say that to my children, when I went to school/work, etc. (I can't really say school, since I've only been here 9 years) I had to walk uphill both ways. And they'll say, "Yeah right, mom, come ON," [mandatory eye roll], and then I'll take them here. And they'll be amazed.

You should come visit.

Anyway, It's been exciting. I kid you not, Friday night it began to snow, and snow, and about an hour later I could have made a heck of a snowman, and then by Saturday morning there was at least 20 inches, and it was heavy, wet snow, and Ben spent 1-2 hours snowblowing a path to our neighbors down the (brick) street (did I mention that our power went out, it was 4 degrees, and both kids had a fever? of course.).... We bundled up, went to the neighbors, and hung out there from 10am until 5pm. We lost power and so did they, but the difference was that they have a gas stove and a wood-burning fireplace. (Thank you Buckners!!) Ahhh, funny how warm a house feels at 60 degrees inside when your house is 50. And how cold it seems when your house was 70.

So let's see. Bad things: snow. Power out. Fevers, sniffles, no way to make warm foods and not really wanting to open the fridge since the power was out. Too much snow to play in (DID I JUST WRITE THAT??! It really was for a 3-year-old and a 9-month-old). Really too cold too (0 degrees Sat. morning, and then maybe 15 that early afternoon). Ben spent from 10am to 5pm snowblowing 2 ruts down the street for us to get our truck out, so that we could make it to his mom's house to sleep, since his parent's had power. So not like "Snow daaaay!" that you might be thinking, especially if you're 12.

Great things (leave it to me, right?): Neighbors everywhere, as soon as they figured out how to push open their doors with 2 feet of snow blocking the way. Big kids SUPER HAPPY and off school for a week (!). Just an amazing white blanket everywhere, in what is mostly at this time of year sort-of a dingy, gray canvass. People helping, people sharing, people digging out your car or your kids or your path. And, of course, lots of amazing stories about "the snow of 2010." I know, it's a little gross, but people were (mostly) just absolute wonderful troopers who you'd actually want to hang out (and dig out) with. Oh, also, we live across from the Post Office so we got power first, and we could invite everyone over here for warmth and showers. Nothing so great as a hot shower after a couple of days in the cold without power.

And I thought to myself, "what a wonderful world."

Also, "let's move to Aruba."