The snow gremlins have been out. Also the snow fairies.

A new winter storm came in last night right about dinnertime, dropping a couple inches on top of the couple that had fallen earlier. We awoke to a snow-covered canine playground in the back yard, and sometime early this afternoon I went to the back deck and discovered graupel—a word I learned only a couple of years ago from a fellow writer and immediately absorbed into my vocabulary because it is both useful and celebratory. I’m not sure I ever saw graupel—basically, snow pellets—as a child, but we see it quite a bit now. (On the other hand, I saw a good share of hoarfrost growing up, and I can’t remember the last time for that. It’s a shame; I remember hoarfrost to be miraculous. Alas, winter is changing. Heavy sigh.)

So yesterday and today, snow, more snow, graupel. And in between, while we weren’t looking, our neighbors shoveled our sidewalk twice. Truth; we have that kind of neighbors.

We do the same for them, actually. When I go out with the shovel (or broom in a light snow), more often than not I clear more than one segment of sidewalk. Usually two or three houses’ worth, sometimes more. I’m already out, it’s a simple enough act of kindness, a gift to both the neighbors and anyone who will walk by, including the mail carrier. And sometimes, like today, they shovel our walk.

This is the way to live in the world. Act with kindness, and kindness is more likely to come back to you.

And so today’s #frontstooppoetry is more thank-you than poem, but it defines this day.

Also…the snow was packable!

This may have been the first truly packable snowfall since we got our second dog a few months ago. She’s Tess, aka the puppy because we didn’t intend to get a puppy. We intended to get a companion for Elwood, the 6-year-old beagle. He’s the one who chose a 10-month-old. Or they chose each other. In any case, she joined the family.

And she is a lover of snow, running and frolicking in it. Today, I threw her first real snowball to her. Suffice it to say her instinct is not to catch. We’ll see if that might change.

But in between doggie play events in the back yard, I came across this sweet, royal snowman while walking through the neighborhood. I’m a lover of snowmen, perhaps a connoisseur. They bring me joy at every stage of their lives, from pristine newness to melty end of life. This one stands out for his crown and his very happy expression.

Yes, grateful

For nice neighbors, happy dogs, snowmen, and the library system that allowed me to walk just a few blocks to get a book I only learned of this morning, I’m thankful. My small blessings are everywhere.