Those small, short-lived but splendid snowflakes

Those of us living in the northern half of the country can be forgiven for being tired – at this stage of winter – of shoveling snow. I enjoy the brightness snow can bring to dark winter days, but I'm getting old enough that shoveling the walk in front of my house has very little appeal even though it's good for me to do some honest work before I head into my desk job. I've now hired a man to plow my driveway and I feel fortunate to have that service – even though it means I pay a fee each time we have significant snow.

When I'm not grumbling about the labor or cost involved in shoveling and p...