The snow was too deep for Zoe to smell all the previous “activity” in the yard and she was at a loss. She tried the deck, but that wasn’t satisfactory for her or for us. Recognizing the problem, Charlie took the snow blower out in the back yard and made several paths through the snow.

Only one path brings her back home. The others end, much to her annoyance, with snow banks. She keeps trying to jump up onto one, but thankfully quits. I don’t relish the prospect of digging her out of 18” of snow.

She has never been one of those open the back door so she can run out and do her business dogs. She requires an escort, one of us. This morning it was 3 below zero(F) and I was up first. Donning long underwear, socks, clogs, hat and jacket to accompany my flannel granny gown, I took her out. Thank goodness she decided she didn’t want to do her usual exploration of the whole yard. Smart dog. She took care of business and rushed with me back into the gradually warming house.(First up turns on the heat. Second up gets a warming house. Sleeping late would have been the smarter choice!)

When I was a kid we got up early before school to listen to KEX Radio to learn if it has snowed enough overnight to close school. The announcer ran through the list in alphabetical order. If there was a lot of snow many names were read out until he came to the r’s for Riverdale. My brother and I would be jubilant, knowing we had a day of sledding with friends ahead of us. It was worth waiting for the r’s!

To my grandson’s dismay, despite the 18” of snow that fell in the last 24 hours he is doomed by technology. Since Covid, schools have learned to use Zoom to teach remotely. While the snow beckons outside he is forced to sit at a screen. For him the saving grace of school is his group of friends—not a mischief maker among them. I feel for the whole bunch of active 16 year old boys forced to sit still, staring at a screen. I imagine one or two will find a way to prank each other nevertheless. I look forward to hearing what happens.