We’re buried.
Imagine a friend dumps a bucketful of shaved ice over your head after the Super Bowl.  It all comes down in a rush and where you were previously dry, you’re now covered in ice.
That’s Denver today.  We were dry and warm until Thursday, our normal balmy temperatures.  Yesterday, the bucket was upended.
So here are a few tips if you’re new to Denver on how we while away the hours on those rare, glorious snow days:
1. We Shovel: And shovel, and shovel.  With 15-26 inches in various Metro Denver locales coming down in 34 hours, you have to stay on top of it.  Shoveling is a great calorie burner, and Denver is the fittest city in the U.S. (and the thinnest, pound for pound.)  Ideas: Not into the workout aspects of shoveling? Keep a neighborhood teenager on retainer, or get your own teenager. I have two, and they really stepped up yesterday.  Get a Snowblower and clear off both sides of your entire block.  Young mothers and widows will gratefully bake for you.
2. We Bake: See number 1. Ideas: Bake for your snow blowing neighbor or the teenagers with frost bitten fingers.  Don’t eat too much of what you baked, or we won’t keep up the “fittest city” classification.  Add applesauce in place of oil.
3. We Play Words With Friends: This new obsession has expanded beyond movie stars and the jet set.  Denver happens to be one of the most literate and well-educated cities in the U.S.  So we know our Scrabble! Idea: Scrabble is always fun, but if you don’t have the actual game board, you can download Words With Friends for free and play in any locale or time zone.
4. We Visit Our Neighbors and Drink Wine: Colorado wines are getting better.  One of my neighbors makes it a point of pride to always order Colorado wines whenever we go out, and she’ll purposely seek out managers to “educate” them if they don’t offer local wine.  Our household leans toward California and Italy, but we’ll give anything a try if we can get out of the house for a few hours.  Idea: Stock up ahead of time, or prey upon your neighbors’ wine cellars.  It’s not a good idea to drive on a “beer run” in a blizzard.
5. We Facebook: And look at everyone else’s blizzard pictures. Then comment on who had to shovel more. Ideas: Keep your camera charged up; quit taking photos with a yardstick in the snow.  We’ve seen that one.
6. We Say We’re Going to Do Our Taxes: But who wants to waste a snow day on something as boring and onerous as taxes?!  Idea: Do your taxes on a sunny day, Denver has 300 sunny days a year. Or was it 425?  I think I heard that recently.
7. We Make Chili: It’s always a good idea to keep beans and tomato sauce in the cupboard and ground meat in the freezer in case of a Denver “weather event.”  Up and down every block you can smell chili cooking.  Idea: Chili is great to have on hand when the neighbors stop by for number 4.  Let them bring the Number 2 and you have a meal with every food group!
8. We Watch Movies: The Oscars are coming up, time to catch up on movies you missed from the year before.  The actual Oscar nominees are still in the theaters.  Ideas: Have a movie party with the neighbors, or play a game of Scrabble and the winner chooses which movie to watch.  Watch some old black and white movies or classics.
9.  We Chase the Dog Around the Dining Room Table: When the snow is so high that even Duke won’t go out (he’s tall enough to rest his head on the table) you really feel sorry for the little pooches.  We take turns chasing Duke around the dining room table trying to steal his toy.  He loves it, and begs for the “table game.” Ideas: A variation is to run up and down the block with your dog where the neighbor has snow blown the side walk.  You can also sit on your couch while watching Number 8 and throw a ball across the room (if he’s a retriever.)
10. We…Never Mind: Just keep your eye on the birth rates in 9 months.
Enjoy the Denver snow, you know the sun will be back out tomorrow and the melting will begin!  Then you can work on your taxes.
If you need another idea and you’re looking for a new house, you can search through all the homes listed in Denver on my property website: Gretchen’s Rosenberg Denver.  Have fun!
Meet the Author  
Libby Levinson made the move into real estate in 2005 and proudly joined Kentwood Real Estate – Cherry Creek in 2006. During her career, Libby has had the pleasure of helping a variety of clients navigate their real estate transactions: helping first-time buyers find their starter home; coordinating the synchronized sale and purchase for buyers looking for more space; sellers looking to down-size; and assisting sophisticated investors with their next investment opportunity. She has also enjoyed working with buyers building their dream home from the ground up. Libby is known for her ability to smoothly facilitate the complex details of both the buying and selling process.
Libby’s real estate website is www.libbysellsdenver.com. She also writes for www.lifestyledenver.com.