Fourteen-something inches of snow way down in Charlotte, but up here under Table Rock it melted half as fast as it fell. Still, we had a good time sledding early, and named the snowman "Valerie", after Miracle Max's wife in The Princess Bride.
Before they woke, I stood warm by the kitchen vent watching first light filter up from the snow. Later my slip of a daughter and I took the scenic route to the reclamation center; I'd never been all the way out Pea Ridge before. The skirts of the storm lifted just in time for us to see Hawk's Bill glory lit; every tree limb stark against the snowshine. Time they got home from the skating rink, the only snow left was Valerie.