"The winter wind's a scrappy hound
with gleaming eye and frosty breath."
Those are the first lines of a poem I wrote several years ago (Cricket, 02/09) and they've been running through my head over the last 12 hours as I listen to the predictions of what's to come weather-wise over the next several days.  Not five minutes ago, a large limb struck the roof.  And the snow won't even be here for another 12 hours.  
This is hunker-down season.  It provides quiet time for thoughtful work, for a while. . . I keep thinking of friends in Massachusetts.  I can hear them telling me it's different if you've been stuck inside for days on end.  And I know they're right.  I can't imagine how challenging this winter has been for them already.  There may be a bright side to the darkness, but sometimes it must be difficult to see. I hope the weather gives them a break very soon!