Contemporary essays, fiction, and opinion offered regularly by author Anne Brandt.






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How might I punctuate the following sentence? Students, stop cutting in line(?)stop throwing food(?)and stop leaving trash.
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Snow News Isn't Good News
Posted: 02/04/09
Who isn’t familiar with the old adage that “No news is good news.” I certainly agree, but this time of year I would change the saying to “Snow news isn’t good news.” As I write, I can see serious snowflakes falling nonstop in the graying dusk of winter. We’ve been under a storm warning or watch (I always get them confused) all day, but as five o’clock turned to six, I thought we might be spared. Now I’m not sure.

We already have a couple feet on the ground, and this is the treacherous time of year. Not because of more snow, but because Mother Nature sometimes decides to send warmer days our way as the ultimate tease. It means snow today, but melt tomorrow. It means going from twenty degrees to forty just like that. Which also means the potential for flooding rivers and flooding roads and flooding basements is great. We’ve weathered this before without a drop of water inside our house. At the same time, it’s not something we enjoy.

Personally, cold weather and snowy conditions don’t really bother me, although I prefer them served with a modicum of sunshine rather than a dose of cloudy grey. What does get to me is the possibility that the weather will heat quickly and melt the snow just as quickly. It’s not a good thing in the long run, which makes me profess that “Snow news isn’t good news.” Neither is the promise of a short, warm reprieve.


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