Weather Forecast

Advance notice: Saturday, March 24, from one to five: Bloomington Book Fair, at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN. I’ll be sitting at a table with Carl Brookins, senior member of my writer’s group, and we’ll both have books for sale.

And Then You Dye came in at about 63,000 words. Most novels are that long or longer. But there is a story that has as much mystery, pathos, anger, humor and disappointed love told as a piece of graffiti just eight words long: "Come back, Ralph, it was just a rash."

It’s snowing lightly outside right now, the precursor of something much worse – or more exciting – to come. We in the Twin Cities have had an exceptionally mild and dry winter. This will be our first significant snow storm of the winter, an amazing statement, considering the norm for us. One reward for living this far north has always been the respect, even awe, of people living farther south, for managing to survive our harsh winters. Not this year; when Chicago got eight inches of snow recently, we got a “trace.” Truck owners with big blades attached to the front of their vehicles have had to take a serious cut in extra earnings this winter. We’ve actually been in a drought, but today and tomorrow will mark a change in our weather. They're predicting something in the neighborhood of a foot of snow. We're practicing looking up and saying loftily, "We've had worse." And indeed we have, only just not this winter.

I would like to be inside, warm and cozy, with occasional glances out the window to see how deep it’s gotten, how nearly horizontal the snowflakes are flying in the fierce wind. Unfortunately, I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, so I’ll get to break out my somewhat rusty winter driving skills for a refresher lesson. Wish me luck!