The snow is falling heavily and for a longer period of time than we Southern Illinoisians are accustomed to…at least for the last 20 years. It is 24 degrees with an 18 mile per hour wind. Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale has closed again, tomorrow, due to the inclement weather. We are used to quick winter events that blow in and in a couple of hours…blow out of Little Egypt. This Winter Storm is more like the winters of my youth. It seemed that everyone had snow boots or galoshes. Most automobile owners had snow chains in the trunks. Snow tires were also popular. There were not any snow blowers around but there were kids that would shovel your sidewalk for a quarter or fifty cents.

MJ and Jonathon and I have been looking at Toy Poodles and other tiny dogs online. That is the kind of trouble that snow days can get you involved in. The Toy Poodles are very nice…I thought that the one pictured was named Merle…but MJ corrected me that Merle is the color of the dog. They weigh well under 10 pounds and if they pull on the leash when you are walking them…how would your know… I believe that MJ would truly enjoy a little dog…

Cards have been the order of the day for every day since we returned from Miramar Beach, Florida…last month. I asked MJ if she was a bit surprised that I was so dedicated to playing the card game Golf…and she said that she was. I had not played cards prior to our return, for the entirety of my life…but determined to learn Golf when we were in Florida.

It seems to me that we 1960s kids wore much warmer winter garments than the kids of 2022. I had a fur-lined hat that had flaps that could be unbuttoned from the top of the cap and snapped under my chin to facilitate keeping my ears warm. There was also an abundance of earmuffs and mittens and neck scarfs and long underwear… When is the last time you heard anyone speak of long underwear? While today people seem to be impervious to the cold and the natural elements. It seems that wearing less winter clothing is a badge of honor illustrating a tough guy image…