Attenuate

Attenuate [verb] (uh tehn yoo ayt)

1. To reduce in force or degree
   
2. Weaken
   

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Waking up to 18-inches of snow on the ground proves that it's going to be hard to attenuate winter's wraith.

Oh, this fluffy icon of the season may seem kind, especially from a spot by the fireplace.  From that vantage point, it's a picturesque Winter Wonderland - a glittering blanket of white on every surface; neighbors making snow angels; snow-tornadoes dancing on the streets to a seasonal opera only frozen water particles can hear.  In a word, lovely.

Then, of course, someone opens the front door to your warm, cottage home, a raging Arctic breeze whirls through the living room, and suddenly the outside world seems less kind, less picturesque, and oh-so cold.

But not cold enough to resist the need to go outside - to clear off the walk, to snow blow the driveway, to venture into the world and continue with the day.

Winter is proving hard to attenuate; but, then again, so am I.