As the Snow Falls

My backyard January 22

It’s exactly a week after the great snowfall of New Orleans when we got 8-12 inches, depending on where in the city you live. I can tell you it was almost knee-high to my 6’4” husband at my house, deep enough to get in his shrimp boots. The last deep snow to fall here (as far as we know) was in February 1895 when the deepest snow in all of Louisiana was 22 inches in Lake Charles. “Since then, snow has only fallen in New Orleans in measurable amounts a handful of times, including Christmas Day in 2004 and Dec. 11, 2009,” according to Nola.com. We were here both times but they were nothing like the snow last week.

I only ventured into the backyard a couple of times to leave peanuts for the squirrels and birdseed for the birds. I put on my husband’s shrimp boots and took careful, measured, high steps that made me feel like Godzilla stomping over New York City. I took lots of pictures including of snow piled on the large hand-like fronds of the Chinese Fan Palm and the long fringe-like fronds of the Queen Palms. I often found myself looking at them because the juxtaposition of the snow on the tropical foliage was a special kind of magic. From my upstairs bedroom I looked down the street where every surface - grass, street, cars, rooftops - was glistening white without a manmade mark to disturb the vista. It was mesmerizing and I scrolled social media looking at pictures from other mesmerized New Orleanians.

But after two days I was saturated with snow-related stuff. One thing I know for sure: I don’t want to live where it snows every winter. The city completely shut down including bridges over the Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain and all the interstate highways in the metro area. We don’t do snow here. No one knows how to drive in it nor are our cars or public transport equipped to operate in it. I know with snow and ice you can’t just get in your car and go. I know there are snow and ice things that have to be done first but damn if I know what they are. Give me my temperate climate, sunshine, and flowers, please.

So for a few days I snuggled in comfy pajama clothes, aka athleisure, which I would personally never wear in public, often lounging on the sofa with my cat beside me and my dog at my feet, sometimes reading, sometimes watching a movie or series on TV, but always not doing much of anything else. And I didn’t feel guilty.

As everyone knows, David Lynch died on January 15. Although he was a celebrated creative genius and filmmaker, I had not watched any of his movies other than Blue Velvet many years ago. I never watched Twin Peaks - I don’t know why, no particular reason. So I thought, during the snow-bound time, I’d watch something of his. I watched three episodes of Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, and a few minutes of Lost HIghway. While I admire his creativity and the huge following he enjoyed, I realized pretty quickly that surrealism is not for me. I knew this, actually, but I thought maybe Lynch’s work would be different. Nope. I struggled through the 3 episodes of Twin Peaks, finding it not-very-interesting and somewhat melodramatic. I persevered all the way through Mulholland Drive which I also found not very interesting, depressing, and melodramatic. But when I began watching Lost Highway, I felt another curtain of depression descending on me. Literally, I felt my mood darkening. So I turned it off. However, I believe one can admire a creator without necessarily enjoying their work. So there’s that.

We have three days left in January and here is some of what I watched and read this month:

Books

Antarctica by Claire Keegan (Fiction) - 5 stars

This is How They Mourn by Kristin Tenor (Fiction, Creative Nonfiction) - 5 stars - watch for my upcoming interview with Kristin in Reckon Review

Love in the Archives by Eileen Verbach Collins (Memoir) - 5 stars

In the Garden of Wind’s Delight by Robert Okaji (Poetry) - 5 stars

(I only read 5 star books, lol.)

TV

Protection on BritBox (series) - 4 stars

The Perfect Mother on Netflix (series) - 4 stars

Fair Play on Netflix (movie) - 4 stars

Music

Look Up by Ringo Starr - 5 stars

In case you’re wondering, I’ll only share books, movies, TV, and music I enjoyed. There’s more than enough negativity, condescension, and criticism in the world and I have no interest in adding to it. (Or reading it.)

In my social media world, I have a list on X/Twitter of writers who have chosen to remain on the platform. I initially started it during the first round of those who left, so the rest of us could support each other. Yesterday I began adding litmags that have stayed to the list. Truly and unfortunately, I don’t have the desire or time to visit multiple SM sites on a regular basis to find the writers I’ve enjoyed reading for years on Twitter. It has been and will continue to be my main source for litmag reading. So, if you’re still there and are active and don’t post too many political posts, I invite you to join us. Here.

Wishing you a great week, friends!