Whatever else it is, it's up to my windowsill,

That's nothing. In 1966, the snow was up to the roofs of one story houses.
There was a 30 foot drift in an intersection in downtown Syracuse. The storm
started on Saturday & we weren't plowed until the following Wednesday. They
sent extra snowplows from Maine. We went to the store with the dog pulling a
sled. Schools were closed until Thursday, which was the first day I could go to
work. My boss got to work on skis.

Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)