The sheer amount of snow that transforms Boston each winter was a surprise to me even when I first moved here, but last night was a special event in itself. I've never seen anywhere transformed from relatively clear to sixteen inches deep in it this rapidly.

It wasn't good enough snow for snowmen, but I made us some defenders to stand along the front path.

Of course, they're only going to be able to keep intruders away if they don't retreat up any stairs, or move to an environment with a positive temperature. But who needs manoeuvrability when you have a sink plunger for an appendage?

Look at how deep it is! I'm more glad than ever now that we bought a house somewhere that organizes its own shovelling crews...

The wintrified house. They ploughed up our front path, but left us to find and dig out the front door for ourselves.

In the park area at the back, the snow has been pushed into ten-foot drifts.

This tree, visible from our bathroom window, was almost completely bent over.

This one is now an ex-tree.

There isn't a lot of anything that isn't white left anywhere.