It’s all we talk about: snow, snow and more snow - ugh

“February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March” — Dr. J.R. Stockton

Snow, horse-drawn sleighs, a crackling fire, all look very nice in photographs or in the movies, but the realities of this Connecticut winter are not so picturesque.

In fact, like most everyone I speak with, I seem to be getting my fill of winter early this year; even though I usually shrug off winters in our state, having survived four winters in Chicago. (Now, that’s cold!) Actually, it is not even the snow or cold that are bothersome, it is the ice and the fear of falling. I drive around the block twice, searching for a clear patch of pavement on which to alight, and I amble along, head down, fearful of a sudden, unseen slippery area. I am even tempted to buy a cane although so far I’ve fought the thought.

Anyway, how does one manage packages, a pocketbook and a cane and still keep one’s equilibrium?

I guess I will have to develop that particular balancing skill because I am planning hip surgery on the left hip in early April. As part of the pre-surgery preparation, I recently spent the better part of a day at Yale-New Haven Hospital having a body scan. With a few hours to kill between procedures, I made a thorough inventory of the gift shop; even finding a cute Valentine’s Day gift for my daughter. The gift shop carries an excellent selection of unique and medium-priced jewelry and good-looking handbags in case you decide to reward yourself when visiting someone at the hospital.

This cold weather also seems to encourage me to go to bed earlier than my usual 11:30 or midnight; the down comforter and a chance to watch television with a bedside cup of hot tea, enticing me to stop whatever I’m doing and get into bed by 9 or 9:30. Lately, of course, I’m seeing more snow as I watch the Olympics in Russia.

I always thought the downhill skiers were incredible, but watching the snowboarders, taking off from a great height, hurtling over ramps and somersaulting in the air with nothing but a board, loosely strapped to their feet, is either great bravery or sheer insanity. The only way I could ever come down a snowy hill of that height is if somebody pushed me. Just looking at all the snow on television makes me yearn for hot chicken soup, and even though I know I shouldn’t, something chocolaty and probably fattening. Here’s a recipe for Cookie Dough Cocoa that fills the bill on both counts:

Whisk together, butter, brown sugar and cookie dough ice cream in a saucepan till melted. Add some water, stir till steaming, then serve with whipped cream on top. Till next Sunday, I leave you with two thoughts: The snow capital of the United States is Stampede Pass in Washington state. Each year, their average snowfall is 430 inches!

The Eskimos have 52 different words for snow. I have only one: “Ugh”!

Contact Jean Cherni, certified senior adviser for Senior Living Solutions and Pearce Plus, a helpful, full-service program for seniors contemplating a move, at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 49 Rose St., Apt. 510, Branford, 06405.

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