We were about to head out to eat breakfast when we both looked out the window and shook our heads. We were suddenly and unexpectedly in a whiteout, a complete and unpredicted surprise.

We went out and shoved out the driveway instead and cleaned up the cars. Some friends are coming to lunch (I’m making ground turkey and tofu stir-fry); they say they’ll come through the snow.

I did, of course, manage to get outside and take my storm pictures, not a regular (and expected) part of our storm ritual.

When I came in from shoveling, I saw Maria had turned her reading chair out to the window so she could watch the storm peacefully. Zinnia, the Queen of Chill, was napping. It was a sweet scene (below.)

The weather service says two more storms are headed this way; all we can do is bow our heads and say “thank you” twice.