More Snow, More Shoveling

6:33

7:01

Early Birds

Fresh snow blankets everything this morning. It’s 7:15, and I’ve already been up for an hour, calculating how long it will take to clear the driveway and car. The snowplow passed a few minutes ago, neatly clearing the road while leaving its customary foot-high berm across the end of the driveway.

Evie didn’t feel well last night, so she’s sleeping in. I’ll head out at 8:00 with the battery-powered shovel to clear the driveway and brush off the car before leaving for yoga at 9:10.

Mondays always feel slightly unmoored — no yoga, no school for Evie. Yesterday, though, I slept nearly eight hours, a rare luxury. The rhythm of the morning rarely changes. I photograph the lake each hour, drink my coffee while scrolling Facebook, then read The New York Times and The Washington Post. After that, I write the blog. If Evie is still asleep, I upload the photos and leave the final edit and publishing for her. Then breakfast, and the familiar question: what to do with the day?

Woodlawn Creek And Road

Mailboxes

Yesterday’s answer was obvious. Three to five inches of snow had fallen. I cleared the driveway with the battery-powered shovel, cleaned off the car, and finished with the regular shovel to neaten things up. Twenty-five minutes of work, followed by a 25-minute walk through the neighborhood — cold air, quiet streets, the muffled stillness that follows snowfall. It's 8:45, and I was out shoveling for 25 minutes, and now I have 25 minutes to eat my breakfast before I head to yoga. 

Perfectly Sculpted Evergreen

Woods

By 11:30, I was finally inside for good. After a short rest, we wrestled with the water filter — an awkward job requiring us to squeeze between the furnace and the washer and dryer. Success. Lunch was the last of the lentil soup, along with a toasted tomato-and-cheese sandwich Evie made for me.

In the afternoon, I started a Dutch series, The Golden Hour, which I’m enjoying. I also moved between two books — Paper Girl and The Hallmarked Man, the latest Cormoran Strike novel by J. K. Rowling. Despite the good night’s sleep, I drifted off for a solid nap.

6:15 PM

By midafternoon, we settled into the living room, reading or scrolling and listening to the news. At five, I poured us each a glass of wine. We’d planned on a rack of lamb with roasted potatoes, but Evie began feeling nauseous again, so we postponed it. Dinner became fried eggs over potatoes instead — simple and comforting.

We watched Hometown and Stephen Colbert before Evie went to bed. I caught a few minutes of the Kansas–Houston game, then returned to The Golden Hour, ending the day as it began — quietly.