A blanket

Photo courtesy of NASA.

Since we've been on the subject of snow around here lately, have you seen this image of Great Britain? It's not supposed to snow in England, at least not more than a light dusting or something! But to see the entire island covered in white is just stunning. It's pretty enough to print and hang on the wall.

A conversation starter

Did you get a Dirt Bag for Christmas? Because I did, and that itself was the first conversation about this sack. Why, for instance did my best friend send me the Dirt Bag? "Because you're the only person that wouldn't get offended if I called them a dirt bag! And it's sooo cool," Susan explained.

She's right. I don't get offended very easily and the bag is quite clever. Its hearty burlap exterior is lined with an impervious blue tarp. I can use it in the garden but I love it so much I've been using it as my grocery tote. Today at Trader Joe's a man went out of his way to tell me a dirt bag joke.

Q: What's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley-Davidson?

A: The location of the dirt bag.

There's snow in my heart

There is something so wonderful about a big snowfall. I have fond memories of sitting inside by the radiator and watching the snow inch its way higher with big fluffy flakes. I love the purplish-gray color of the snowy night sky, and the way snow can balance itself on power lines. I also love the calm that comes with a big snowstorm. Nobody goes anywhere. Nobody expects anything. Everybody just wants to sit in the warmth and listen to the quiet.

I don't have those moments in California. "Summer year round," as my friend Phran calls it, has its low points. "This time of year, most gardeners around here are on a break from outdoor chores," Phran says in her Garden Report on Philadelphia's KYW News Radio. A break from gardening to lay inside and watch the snow fall sounds so delightful that I almost, for a second, thought I could live in the cold again. That was until I remembered shoveling.