Lazy afternoon
Snow falling with nonchalance,
Like nothing matters.

Shoveling snow is one of the things that makes us special in Minnesota. In winter we do it on the average of twice a week from December through March, and sometimes into April. March is a particularly bad month, for then the white stuff seems to come down in feet rather than inches. In Minneapolis we are required to shovel our sidewalks by city ordinance, though I doubt it’s seldom enforced unless someone complains. It makes us a hearty lot, though a number of people now hire others to do it. Now that I’m sixty, I use a snowthrower, something I eschewed as a younger man, though there are still plenty of opportunities to use a shovel. The thing I like best about clearing snow is that it’s a communal act. We do it together, before everyone leaves for work, or just after work when there is still a bit of sun left. Neighbors shovel the sidewalks of other neighbors. Children get involved, and so do dogs. One neighbor with whom I haven’t spoken in years sent me an email thanking me for doing her sidewalk the other day. I wrote back saying that I hadn’t, though I wished I had, and now we’re on speaking terms again. See what I mean?