Snow! When I opened the curtains early this morning, big flakes were falling. Snow was dusting the pavement outside the paper recycling plant and the Gansu government archive. It was melting in the water bowl of the dejected archive guard dog and squandering its whiteness on the gray concrete facade of the unfinished apartment block. I sighed, as I have so many times, yearning for the beauty of the Hudson Valley. There are some lovely places in Lanzhou, especially the parks along the river, but they are far from here and require time and planning to enjoy. The streetlight at the end of the alley used to make lovely shadows out of the opportunistic vine growing on the fence of the government archive, but the cold has long since stripped that vine. This raw neighborhood simply has nothing to delight the eye, save for the occasional star that manages to penetrate the haze of the night sky. But I recognized the potential in this morning’s snow, and charged out into the frigid air as quickly as I could. The Yan Tan Park, with its man made lake and curving paths, is just four bus stops away, and I was there in minutes. I can’t say it was exactly "fairy land," but the snow continued to fall peacefully as I strolled along the icy paths.

Energized, I walked home instead of taking the bus. I didn’t need to shop, but walked through one of my favorite open air markets just for fun. The chickens were conspicuously absent – those who used to await their doom in cages, as well as the ones who used to peck about underfoot. The chicken vendors were still offering a full menu, including the stall that sells my favorite take-out. But apparently the new government regulation banning live poultry in cities is being enforced here. Good! "Christmas is coming, and the goose is getting . . . vaccinated!"