Our house is situated in a Ponderosa pine forest at an altitude of just under 4,000 feet. Although conditions vary from year to year, when meteorologists start talking about el nino we are pretty much assured that deep snow will transform our one and a half acres into a winter wonderland. This was never more true than during the winter of 2008, which dumped nearly four feet of snow on us and generated a curtain of seven foot icicles. Fortunately, a certain boy was available to help us dig out.