Through the windshield of our Jeep, looking North on 5th Street (a main city artery) at Pine Sreet into a ghost town. Jan 27, 2011
"We've become a nation of wusses. ... If this was in China [p]eople would have been marching down to the stadium ... and they would have been doing calculus on the way down." PA Governor Ed Rendell re the NFL postponing last month's Eagles-Vikings playoff game due to a snowstorm.
That's our famous Philly "Attytood" in a nutshell. Bring it on, we'll take whatever's dished out.
I do have to admit, though, I hate winter. The cold weather. Freezing wind chills. Give me summer breezes, leafy trees and flip flops over blizzards, shovels and boots any day.
Our garden last summer... 
Still, there's something magical about snow. From inside a warm house. Stirring the warm memories of childhood.
Our garden last week... 
We're urbanites, our home in Philly is called a 'townhouse.' Which basically means we live vertically (5 stories) as opposed to the more horizontal upstairs-downstairs living spaces of suburbia.
So, we don't have endless vistas of snow-covered fields. We all have small gardens, patios, pieces of outdoor space, though, at various levels. And when it snows we're often treated to otherworldly views from above and below, up close and personal.
My husband keeps lights in our garden year-round. Even buried, they lit the snow from within...
Looking down from the 2nd floor balcony (ET, is that you?)...
View of neighboring homes and trees from 3rd floor patio next day...
Snowy branches reach out to us...
Snow doesn't discriminate about how people live. You might need a snow blower for your wide driveway, long, winding walkway or big yard.
Karen's Bob and their dog Stella, in Margate. Photo by Amy...
Here in the city, we need good old fashioned shovels for our front steps, the sidewalk and, oh yeah, to dig our cars out of tight, snow-mounded parking spaces.
Snowblowers don't work here, just strong backs... 
And finally, the classic time-honored Philly tradition...
You shoveled your car out, you earned that parking space. 
This year for the first time ever, the city warned there would be fines for holding cleared parking spots. I haven't heard of any yet. But, man, I'd love to snap a picture of a cop trying to put a parking ticket on a trash can.
Only in Philly... there's just snowplace like here. Yo.Yanno?
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Max Rivlin-Nadler
drlaura2
Kristina Lakes
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Comments
Great blog and rated with hugs
Today was soft silver glow!
no overuse a`
'!'
exclaim. Who say? Lawyer!
Ignore!
!
okay!
Philly?
I went to Philly.
I went for baloney.
I hope PAs Lebanon`
Great PAs baloney`
No get rendered in`
China. a xox, hugs`
`
I feel like PA baloney.
Pure. Textured. Soft.
Baloney's good as pie.
Cop look in trash can.
Cop look for editors?
Cop love PA baloney!
Cop loves snow angel!
Cop know where chic!
Chicks eat in PAs deli!
No eat steaks cheese!
Ya may get diarrhea!
Warm a hot tea pot!
Hear a pot whistles!
Annoy who Ya love!
I needs a cold beer!
Here in Minnesota we're running out of places to put the snow, and intersections are hazardous because the white mountains hide oncoming traffic. Come on, Spring!
The snow gnomes thank your hubby for his lights!!! ;)
And if you get a picture of the cop trying to put a ticket on a garbage can, that'd be awesome!! ;D
just for contrast, i ooooh'ed all over your spring garden lime green and dark purple garden photo. very very very pretty.
Great post and hi Sally Swift!
Lezlie
By the way, we haven't had one snowflake yet today...~r
Rita, I'll meetcha at Da Diner. I always order the cheery pie.
Robin, you get way more snow than we do... except, well, not the past few years. Cuddle up by the fire, child.
Linda, put on some warm socks and light your fire too. Or, find someone to light it for you...
Art James, you never fail to turn every post into pure art.
desert_rat, I'm with you, but otoh, am not crazy about the desert either. Can we compromise on Jamaica or Hawaii?
mginmn, I have family in MN so I totally feel your pain. I hope you'll at least share some pics of your Snowmageddon.
Tink, I love those lights, under summer blooms or under snow. If I catch a cop ticketing a trash can, I'm sellin that pic!
greenheron, I'm not takin you on, talk to Fast Eddie. Although if the Eagles and Vikings had played in that snowstorm, who knows...
Holly, damn right we save a space we spent over and hour shoveling out... don't forget, first we have to do the car, then move it and do the street. That spot is OURS. I long for my summer garden.
Carol, you totally got it. City snow is just as deep and less space for it too. Plus, how to really appreciate without 'before' and 'after' pics.
Candy, get your boots up here, sister woman! I take no credit for the garden, it's all my husband. I have the proverbial black thumb.
trig, yeah, we got a little of the white stuff. heh
Major Mojo, thank you! Headline just popped into my head, go figure.
RW, you have a good eye. Queen Villiage.
Lezlie, we're about to get a sleet storm. If it would Only rain and warm up Just a little. (Oh, and that's Karen's dog.. well, now Stella is Bob, Alex and Amy's dog).
So, when I was in Indiana, I got a great snow shovel and I want to know if you guys have them. The handle has two bends in it so it looks like a partially straightened Z from the side. The advantage is you don't have to bend down anywhere near as far to shovel as you do with a straight-handled shovel. Saves the back of this alte cocker.
Liked your post. Don't remember my Philly geography well enough.
Christine, thank you. I look forward to full-out Spring, then Summer, yea!
Lea, hard to believe 65 degrees was "chilly" in Boca last month.
heidibeth, last year we got it worse, this year Chicago wins by feet, not inches.
trilogy, don't feel guilty, feel appropriately lucky.
nola, I forgot that Jane Byrne story and the snowstorm! Do you have any pictures from back then? What a scene it must have been.
ksal, if you're gonna wipe out on skis, Wisconsin and M in front of a tv camera is the way to go. And yes, we have those shovels, t/g. Now that he has one, I don't have to keep reminding my husband he could easily become a snow shoveling=heart attack victim, g-d-forbid.
diana, I wish I could find the picture from last year's much bigger back-to-back snow storms when the trash can actually got filled with snow! I. Want. Summer.
Stim, I have never understood why anyone would *choose* to live in Buffalo. Seriously.
Bob, I'm with you, I'd rather look at pics of snow from a warm beach.
Con, Boston is definitely ahead of Philly. We have a flat roof but my husband strategically put salt blocks on it to direct the melt toward the drains and gutters.
Deborah, I have to admit I goofed, we have 4 floors, newer construction (15 yrs old) on the site of two former houses, great space and light. I grew up in a big old-fashioned 5-story townhouse on Philly's Rittenhouse Square, similar to Boston's Back Bay. I bet they save their parking spots in Boston, just depends on the neighborhood, right.