Seriously Snowy

One of the reasons I moved back to Michigan was for winter. Real, capital W Winter. Well, I've got it! It's been snowing consistently since before Thanksgiving, so I'm not surprised at reports that we're on track for one of the snowiest years on record.

I'm afraid, however, that I'm not taking full advantage of it. I keep thinking that next winter will likely be a warmer, browner one - and that next year I won't need to move furniture and boxes through snowdrifts, will have better insulation (and a functional fireplace to keep cozy), won't have a million projects to maroon me indoors, and will be more likely to enjoy 30 or 45 minutes of exercise shoveling snow every other day, instead of just piling it on top of a mountain of other urgent, physically-demanding chores. And maybe I'll even have some friends nearby (other than Maisie) to play in the snow with me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I will never be one of those people who grumbles about another snowstorm, even when the snowbanks on either side of the driveway are getting so tall that I have to pile chunks of rock-hard plow-leavings on my purple sled and haul them up into the middle of the yard because I can't throw them over my head. It's just that I don't want to squander a glorious snow year!
Meanwhile, a few milestones:

• Walked to both the Tom's supermarket (two blocks away) and Oryana, the co-op, for groceries (nine blocks away). Grocery shopping minus fossil fuel will only get easier in warmer months, of course.
  
• Acquired my TC library card - always a good step toward feeling settled in a new place. Afterward, Maisie and I went for a walk along the Boardman Lake trail as an extra-sparkly snowfall glittered in the streetlights.
  
• Met several neighbors: Mary, whose father lives across the street and who said she used to play in my house as a little girl, when her childhood friend lived here. Kathy, next door, whose little dogs are named Maggie and Annie and whose mail frequently ends up in my mailbox. Charyl, who lives on the corner and moved here from Portland, Oregon.
  
• Made Maisie's first neighborhood dog friend, Charyl's dog Powell. He's one year old, and they had a ball running around the yard.
  
• Hung out my birdfeeder, which the birds discovered just a day or two later. Chickadees, goldfinches, sparrows, a nuthatch, and a downy woodpecker have all been spotted enjoying the seeds and suet.