What better way to greet the long-awaited eastern spring than by watching an old newsreel about the New York Blizzard of 1947. Over ninety tons of snow buried New York state beginning on Christmas night and ending the following day, having dumped twenty-six inches of snow onto the city streets (the previous record holder, the blizzard of 1888, was a mere twenty-inches). The snow stayed on the ground through March and seventy-seven deaths were attributed to the blizzard vs. 400 in the 1888 edition. Interference with delivery of coal, the typical fuel for furnaces of the day, created emergencies in which facilities and homes with heating through underground gas-distribution systems or having a good supply of wood for their fireplaces became havens until supplies could be provided. Schools were closed. Typical items delivered regularly to homes during that period, such as milk, were subject to delays and sometimes deliveries were not possible due to roadways waiting plowing. If any of the above information is incorrect, it’s because AI told it to me.

Have a lovely springtime weekend, wherever you are!