And now for a positive post to make up for grousing about snow in the previous column.

I saw an acquaintance today who has a long-term relationship that works well. I was talking with her about how lucky I feel to have Brian in my life.

I said something I’ve said many times, but it seems bigger to me lately. For years I knew that other people found relationships that really were happy. However, for decades I did not really believe that I could be one of those happy people.

And then somehow my life turned down a different road (that turn took several years but things are truly different now). When I was dating Brian, I would tell myself “It’s not too good to be real… it’s good and it’s real.” I believed by then that I could be happy.

And I am. And he is. We’ve been married 12 years and he still lights up when I walk in the room.

I count my blessings every day.

(Photo is Brian introducing me at this last Saturday’s concert. We opened for Juggernaut Jug Band at Mama’s Coffeehouse in the greater Detroit area. He quoted our new President’s first words at the first inaugural ball of many… “First of all, how beautiful is my wife?” And then we laughed… a blurry but wonderful photo.)

OK, I openly admit that being concerned about how much snow we have here is a minor issue. My life is good, my business is busy, my health is better than it has been in years, and my husband loves me. There is really little to complain about.

That said, I don’t complain about 85F/29C degree days when others are miserable. I do not tolerate cold well, and snow on top of cold is frustrating. It seems every time I need to go anywhere, even several times a day when I’m running errands, I have to brush/scrape the windshields on my car again.

Yes, I have a car and it’s good and it’s paid off. Yes, I could ride a bus. Can I whine for one post and get it out of my system? Even though it shows that I have time to complain about somewhat petty issues?

The photo above is my mother’s driveway. The snow is taller than the lamp post (globe lamp is at right, above car), and taller than my car.

The photo below is the Sears parking lot. Those little blue boxes in the pile of snow? They are shopping carts frozen in the pile, but good. They won’t come out now until there is a long thaw.

I am not making up this stuff. There are places that get more than this every year. We usually get a bit of snow and then we get a thaw and the snow goes away. THEN we get another snow. This year it just keeps piling up and piling up.

When we get 3″ or less, it seems we drive around as though nothing is unusual. Over that, and things slow down quite a bit. The Friday before Christmas we got so much snow, so fast, that the public transit bus got stuck on Michigan Avenue, a prime ambulance route. It was rough that weekend.

Lately, though, it’s one inch at a time. No thaw, just a bit more and then a bit more and then a bit more…

I am so eager to have 80F or more, and wear my African caftans again. It will happen, but not this week.

End of whine. Now I’ll go knit for a friend who had surgery today. As I said, I realize that my life is really good if I can focus on mere snow as a rant!