Russia is facing a lot these days. Banned from the Seoul Olympics and an already-hotly contested national election on its way in another month, things are not great in the dead of Russian winter.

I mean, if President Putin could supposedly tamper with the US elections, is there any doubt about him doing the same in his own country as he aims for a fourth six-year term? There are so many candidates being rejected from advertising on Russian TV, ousted, imprisoned, or just giving up in light of the odds stacked against them, it’s a wonder why they even pretend to have free elections.

And then came the Snow.

Sunday and Monday registered record snowfall in the center of Moscow, more than 22 inches in 36 hours. The heaviest snowfall since weather records have been recorded, they estimated that it equalled about a month’s worth of snow practically overnight.

I’ve been in Moscow and other Russian locales in the snow and it is beyond lovely. Never mind the slush pools that result in the streets and the ice patches on the sidewalks and the human-sized, killer icicles dropping from building overhangs that yes, do kill folks every year. Put that aside for now.

When writers speak of snow blanketing a city, that’s exactly what happens in Moscow. A hush of sorts descends. Everything is muffled and quiet, footsteps softly crunching. Most of the fur coats go away as the flakes cling to them and cause them to double in weight, with nylon, hooded puffer coats stepping in for the challenge. Ubiquitous plastic bags of a decorative and sometimes designer nature protect belongings and leather purses.

It’s gorgeous, particularly after you arrive to the countryside. But snow in Russia is no big news.

The news is that the Russians are getting soft and actually cancelled school on Monday. It was the storm of the century, but such an outcry went up from those in previous generations who could never remember Russian school being cancelled and kids being told to stay home.
Not once.

As the Russians grow softer (yeah, right, tell that to their fighter pilots over the Black Sea!), maybe we Americans could grow a little tougher?

It’s worth considering.

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