Four Seasons in the Inland Empire

Welcome to my corner of the world.
'The Inland Empire is a region in the Pacific Northwest centered in Spokane, Washington including much of the surrounding Columbia River basin. It extends into northern Idaho, northeastern Oregon, and far northwestern Montana. It is sometimes referred to as the Inland Northwest. An early reference to the Inland Empire was printed in the first edition of the Spokane Falls Review, a predecessor of today's Spokesman Review, on May 19, 1883: "It is not to be wondered that Spokane Falls booms, nor that it bids fair, and is bound to be the chief metropolis not only of eastern Washington, but of that vast extent of territory, now being rapidly peopled, known and suggestively spoken of as the 'Inland Empire,' an immense region of unlimited resources and possibilities that will in later years give subsistence and support to millions of human beings." 'wikipedia
I am one of those million human beings that has appreciated the unlimited resources and possibilities. I have lived in different sections of the Inland Empire my whole life. I appreciate the four seasons. Winter is that season that we love to love and love to hate. When the roads are dangerous, we hate it. But today the sun shone brightly on the last of the white drifts of snow, reflecting a brightness that made the day a keeper. The dogs were able to run across the driveway without icy patches causing them to lose traction. The cats came out their door and enjoyed a warmth they had long forgotten. Winters here can fool us though. Tomorrow we may have six more inches of snow and ice on the highway again. For now I will enjoy the warmth,brightness, and a hint of upcoming spring.