When we moved to Maryland from Milan this past fall, little did we know what winter would bring. Tonight, starting at 5 pm, hellish snow is predicted up and down the Eastern seaboard; the blizzard is supposed to last for 12 hours and bury us with 8-10 inches.

Back in Italy, the Alps protect the boot from Siberian winds howling down from the north. In Milan, the wind can blow, snow can fly, but we’ve never had a 12-hour blizzard, at least not as far as I can remember. This is a picture of a country farmhouse in a typical Italian winter’s day. See what I mean?

Tonight, here in Maryland, we obsessively check our phones’ weather apps. Four degrees Fahrenheit. What is that in Centigrade? And what happens if you factor in the windchill?

Still, we’re glad to be here. It’s the red, blue and WHITE of the place. Our noses to the glass, we think it will be thrilling to watch the snow pile up.