I've spent a chunk of today shoveling.

[bart1997]

...

[nachtjaeger]

This is the worst winter I remember since Carter was President. Back then, we had a month where the temperature never got above freezing, and a week where it never got above zero. Times were hard, between inflation and the Energy Crisis. We kept the furnace on just high enough to keep the pipes from freezing (most of the time), sat around wrapped in blankets and Snug Sacks under a single 50 watt bulb, and shivered. I can say without reservation that being cold and hungry really sucks.

We've got more snow on the ground at once than I have seen since I moved here in '92. My snowblower died on me last year, and I haven't had the cash and the inclination to get it fixed at the same time since. So I have been shoveling a LOT. Good thing the Doctors have me in the best health I've been in since I don't remember. This current snowfall is brutal. Besides being below zero and a howling wind, this stuff is half again as heavy as the last batch, and sets up like concrete when it settles down. No relief in sight, according to the Weather folks.

My Lady Wife has decided that this winter isn't going to end in March. She thinks this is Fimbulvinter, the winter that lasts two years, and precedes Ragnarok. I'm not totally convinced- but I have my sword, shield, spear, and armor handy, just in case. Fire demons, Frost giants, the legions of the Dishonored Dead lead by Loki himself, the great wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent- party time!!