There is something so wonderful about a big snowfall. I have fond memories of sitting inside by the radiator and watching the snow inch its way higher with big fluffy flakes. I love the purplish-gray color of the snowy night sky, and the way snow can balance itself on power lines. I also love the calm that comes with a big snowstorm. Nobody goes anywhere. Nobody expects anything. Everybody just wants to sit in the warmth and listen to the quiet.

I don't have those moments in California. "Summer year round," as my friend Phran calls it, has its low points. "This time of year, most gardeners around here are on a break from outdoor chores," Phran says in her Garden Report on Philadelphia's KYW News Radio. A break from gardening to lay inside and watch the snow fall sounds so delightful that I almost, for a second, thought I could live in the cold again. That was until I remembered shoveling.