We got a lot of snow yesterday--10 inches? 12 inches? It instantly packed hard and wet, so the accumulation amount is hard to measure. Shoveling was a beast. I spent an hour and half clearing our driveway and walkways, but then a couple of more inches came down after I finished, so I'll be out there again this morning.

The neighborhood is cute as a button, all snowy and quaint, with the church steeple rising over the frosted trees. Harmony was never cute, so I am unaccustomed to such things. Our yard in Harmony was sometimes majestic, but the town itself was bleak and utilitarian. Things are different here in the little northern city by the sea. This is a place with charm.

I'm never sure I'm the right person for charm. Probably I ought to be living in Siberia where the temperature is minus 50 and no one ever takes off their boots. 

I'll get back to the editing project today, after the shoveling chore. It's big and complicated and it's going to take a very long time to finish. That's pretty much the only thing on my docket for the day, along with the regular household stuff. I've almost finished The Small House at Allington, and I'm really glad I finally decided to reread it. The novel is one of Trollope's best--a delicate portrait of disappointment and resilience--and I'm sorry I spent so many years wincing away from the sadness. I've been considering rereading War and Peace next. I think I'll have the stamina.