The snow was new, with over a foot falling in the past 24 hours. It was fun to be out in it and, as I like to say, I was getting my “fix” of winter wonderland before heading back to LA. To make it all the more wonderland I was coming back from having a heart-to-heart lunch with my 19-year-old “old soul” of a nephew, Kirk. We were pushing the clock, trying to stretch time before I had to leave for the airport. And, as is so often a way of life in December in Michigan, the road held surprise patches of ice. One such patch presented itself with much fanfare as we approached a back-up of cars stopped on a two-lane road outside of town. Brake lights appeared and in an instant we were swerving onto the shoulder and into the yard, thankfully without a ditch, with all four... Read more →

By Cindy Yantis "We're heading into heavy snow." I heard someone in the airport utter this as he got ready to board my flight. Flights were cancelled, roads were closed, plans were diverted, all due to heavy snow. I find the phrase "heavy snow" intriguing. It's hard to think of anything lighter than snow. Or to break it down further, there's not many things lighter or more delicate than a snowflake. Each tiny piece of frosted crystal sweet and unique, completely different that the millions of other perfect ice sculptures cascading down along with it. They create a silent symphony of white and calm, of peace and newness. That is until there are too many of them all at once, storming on top one another so that they’re packed into a heaviness that can become treacherous, even deadly. One could imagine the breezy conversation taking place among them. “What happened?... Read more →