A Good Day To Be Alive

Ain't it good to breathe the air
Another spin around the sun
On this spec of light in the universe
A little piece of love in everyone
Ain't it good to be alive
Ain't it good to be alive
To feel the sun strong against your face
Spills over me like the milky way
Alive. Alive.
--Edwin, "Alive"

Living in Salt Lake City can be difficult in the winter. The weather can be nasty, with icy blizzards or ice-cold sleet and rain that comes down almost sideways because of the gale-force winds. The temperature can drop below freezing for weeks at a time and everytime I walk out of my warm house that first blast of bitter butt-puckering cold air reminds me why old people move to Arizona.

But today is not one of those days. Today is spectacularly beautiful, with a blanket of deep fresh snow dropped last night by a passing storm, and a bright sunny sky with a few cumulus clouds. The air is crisp but not cold. Days like today make me happy.

Even yesterday's storm that brought the snow wasn't all that bad. It was moderate, by Salt Lake City standards, lasting less than a day. I have seen severe snow storms that go on for days, dumping so much snow that I have to shovel my sidewalk hourly to keep up.

Yesterday's storm wasn't like that. I shoveled once when I got home from work, then again this morning. When I say "shovel" I mean that I went to my garage, took out my 2-cycle gasoline-powered snowblower, fired her up, and proceeded to violate the Kyoto Protocols. I only say "shovel" to make myself look better, but what I did wasn't "shoveling" any more than going through a McDonalds Drive-Thru is cooking dinner.

There was over a foot of new snow when I woke up but the little snowblower went through it like Angelina goes through boyfriends. It was very light powder. It was the kind of powder that skiers dream about. Unfortunately for me, I've left my college ski bum days behind. I have bills now, so I have a job, and they expect me to show up for work, even on powder days. So unfair.

Still, it's a good day to be alive.

The picture is the view from my office. I'm sorry it's so crappy, I only have my phone cam today. The peak in the background is Mount Olympus, 9,026 feet above sea-level (2,751 m).