snow

look out through the window at the snow falling into the narrow back yard, Get the day clothes on, the son has already looked in, he wants to go to the cafe. This really seems important to him.

Go down to the alley, take the old metal scraper, and clear the snow from the sidewalk in front of the house. The snow is falling quickly, it is heavy snow. By the time the short stretch of path is cleared, the first part is covered in snow again. Take the scraper back into the house, and take a shovel full of salt from the plastic sack of salt that is in the old flowerpot. The flowerpot holts the plastic sack upright.

Scatter the salt lightly upon the pavement. Almost immediately, the white covering starts to melt, the clinker tiles underneath dark and wet.

Then the son arrives, and together we go to the cafe through the falling snow.
It is just past eight on a Saturday morning, the municipal workers have not started to work yet. There is not so much business on the weekend, there is no need for them to be out in force.

Pass the monument to the fallen soldiers of the last war and the one before that. It is an ugly pathetic thing which has just been cleaned recently.

The cafe is warm and steamy, place our orders and sit down.