almost okay

Dear Lyzako,

The same record-breaking storm that dumped snow on the Vegas strip has finally made its way to southern lower Michigan as predicted, tracking slowly along the I-94 corridor and across Detroit as I write this. I just now came inside, sweat-soaked from shoveling eight inches or so from the sidewalk and from in front of my Ranger, which I backed in and parked as close to the street as possible.

It's barely noon now and the forecast calls for the snow to taper off gradually throughout the rest of the day, with maybe a couple more inches of accumulation before it's all over.

There's wind on top of it, my friend, so it's blowing and drifting, too. You remember the term blowing and drifting, right? Of course you do. After all, you live in San Francisco now and I'm sure they must use the expression out there, but the kind to which I refer has nothing to do with what Jon Voight was doing in 'Midnight Cowboy'. Although in both cases, I suppose one of the hazards is getting the white stuff in your eyes.

Anyway, being at home in the middle of a winter storm on a lazy Friday with nothing better to do than make a pot of soup and listen to records isn't all bad. Gil Scott-Heron's on the turntable at the moment, singing about 'changing the world' and helping to drown out the low and steady hum of the snow blowers as the neighbors continue to frantically dig themselves out.

If the snow-blowing in the driveway next door goes the way it did last year, every north-facing window in my basement will be covered by now, producing a cozy, darkened space not unlike a comfortable underground cave. So comfortable, in fact, that I'm torn between getting some work done upstairs - sweep and mop the kitchen floor (long overdue), maybe shelve some records - and descending into that soft darkness for an afternoon double feature of 'Coffy' and 'Foxy Brown' while the snow continues to pile up and I pretend that it's 1977.

I think I'll put on some Hank Snow (in honor of the storm), make myself a sandwich and mull it over. But knowing my lazy nature, I'm guessing the double feature's going to win.

Holiday Greetings to You and Yours,
Marty Sherman