Snowing US

The most significant snow in years fell today, and certain government appointees think they can snow us, too.

Going out bare legged in rain boots was not the best idea.

Snowstorm Fern marching eastward across large swaths of the country arrived today in New York City, with some headaches, some fun - a pure white and fluffy light backdrop, in contrast to what is happening in Minneapolis.

It was freezing inside when I awoke - I figured due to my leaving open part of a kitchen window. Initially it seemed easier to try to close it from outside, push the outside sash up; I thought it would be a quick few steps out to the terrace....

... Venturing out bare legged, even in rain boots, was ill-advised, particularly given the snow drifted deeper than the neck of the boots....

...All I did was track snow inside (at least there were plants ready to receive it)....

...Meantime, the wind kept blowing it, packing it up against the terrace door, within a few hours preventing any other half-baked attempts to go out.

So, shut in, I proceeded with the more conventional method of closing the kitchen window - cleared a few items that were in the way (and did some dishes in the process), climbed a ladder, and muscled the stuck window upward. It didn't heat up right away, but eventually inside felt warmer, enough to inspire more housekeeping catch-up - normal, typical snow day activity. "Paper work," too - friendly favors drawing on my professional knowledge, emails, promises kept.

With that off my plate, after a day of anticipation, and being patient for the snow to ease - it didn't cease, just lessened, into tiny ice pellets that hurt our faces when the wind off the East River blew it at our faces - finally, Sissy and I went out to go sledding at dusk (at times holding the sleds as shields to protect out faces from the flying frozen water beads). The usual fun, watching more adventurous snow lovers...

... followed by a ritual diner meal, ...

...including apple pie for dessert. 

What could be more American than apple pie? 

... Well, freedom of speech, guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution - its exercise is American to the core. It used to be that welcoming immigrants was a hallmark of America, too. And democracy. In government, it used to be that accountability, and transparency, set us apart from the rest of the world. Now, not so much, when ill-trained masked federal thugs set upon peaceful protesters with apparent immunity, and Cheeto-in-Chief's sycophantic mouthpieces try to gaslight us into believing we did not witness their sanctioned murder of a man who nursed veterans back to health, who spent his final moments aiding a woman who was attacked.

May our democracy and country be protected and delivered safely from he who would turn it with his narcissistic, retributive idiocy, aided by spineless, morally devoid brown nosing rubber stampers, into a personal plunder box.