But Kyiv has entered the record books for ferocious winter storms with its March 22-23 blizzard – and it’s still snowing. I don’t know how much, but it’s deep – looks like the official total of 1.6 feet is about right.

Many of you probably stayed in today. However, having no food in the apartment as usual, I had to venture out. Plus, as a Minnesotan, I have boots, scarves, gloves, long underwear, an assortment of winter coats and caps. So I’m not afraid to go out.

The first problem I encountered was opening the door to my apartment building. Nobody had bothered to shovel the doorway. This did not come as a surprise. Then I saw all the cars buried and going nowhere in our yard – and again I was happy not to be a car owner today.

A city worker with a shovel had plenty of work to do.

None of the friends I contacted wanted to join me for lunch. All of their responses were variations of “No way. Are you crazy?” The hardest part in my slog to my favorite Chinese restaurant was the wind. It was biting.

The 20-minute walk took twice as long. But I was greeted by my favorite waiter, impressed that I made it, and I leisurely dined alone for the next hour or so, grateful that the Chinese chef made it to work today also.

Kyiv is not well-equipped for this kind of weather. There were snowplows out to clear the snow, but their performance was hampered by all the cars parked on the street. In Minnesota, we would declare a “Snow Emergency” and start towing any cars parked on the street.

It’s a good day to own a Hummer.

I saw a couple of Hummers along the way. Their owners must be smug or content today.

Shoveling was spotty. A stretch of sidewalk would be cleared by a business owner, followed by another stretch totally uncleared. It was a good day to walk in the middle of the street and not worry about getting run over.

But all the kiosks and shops seemed to be open. And there were people on the street, with a look of pride in their faces to be braving the elements. And there were children playing, of course – nothing stops children.

Evidence that the city was trying to clear the streets.

I went back out in the evening and saw more cars stuck in the roads than I can count – and it’s still coming down. Kyiv is rarely blessed with such deep snowfalls in March. Where can I get a sled? It doesn’t look like it will clear by Monday.

Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner can be reached at [email protected].