They've had a record snowfall this year...

So I dedicate this post to the folks of North Idaho, where I used to live...

I remember winters up there very well. I remember trying to drive a cab in total white-out conditions. I remember so much snow on the rooftops, that when the snow was pushed off, it piled up, to the bottom of the roof. I remember freezing, slipping and sliding everywhere I went. I remember getting home from work and my hands would be so cold, I'd have to sit in front of a forced-air heater for 45 minutes just to get them warm again.

I remember frozen pipes which turned into bursting pipes, and the exorbitant after-hours fee the plumber charged me for fixing them. Winter was fun (sort-of) when I was a kid, but basically over the years, "snow" became just another four-letter word. And I don't miss the snow at all. So, it is to you, North Idaho Residents, that I dedicate this post (and the bird picture below, even if this species doesn't wing its way over your part of the country...)

Even the folks over at www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/hbo are still trying to dig their way out...

You woulda thot I'd be suffering from some sort of snow 'withdrawal' symptom, since after all, not a North Idaho winter had gone by that the white stuff didn't fall...well, right now, it's 54 degrees above, the sun's out, not a cloud in the sky, and I'm finding I don't miss snow one iota. Not one single bit. Nope, not me. But I feel your pain, North Idahoans. From afar, that is. Don't give up hope...spring will arrive soon.

____________________

I still keep a broom in the back seat of my car; I used to use it to push all the snow off my car up thar in Idaho. Just in case there's ever a snowstorm (or, indeed, over an inch of snow) down here on the Oregon Coast, I'll have it handy. Be prepared, I guess...