Winter weather is wreaking havoc on everything from roads to rain gutters to family routines ... and I've had enough. (Yes, it's true, I'm a lifelong winter enthusiast who's no longer feeling the love for the present season.) School closings and delays are taking their toll, as are what seems like never-ending adjustments to the routine because of canceled ballet classes, rescheduled family events and alternate child-care arrangements.

But then it hit me: Maybe I should put a notice in the paper and call the local tv station to announce that I've decided to cancel myself. Not permanently, of course. But, because of the inclement weather, I'm putting the brakes on my commitment to the laundry, the grocery shopping, the dusting, the trash toting, the carpooling, the bill paying, the vacuuming, the cooking, the dog caretaking, and the bathroom cleaning. While I'm at it, I'm going to terminate my concerns about the state of the garage, the paper piles breeding at the far end of the dining room table, and the shirts awaiting a hot iron. Sounds like a plan that will probably, in reality, resemble more of a postponement. I just remembered: Girl Scout cookies are stacked high in my house, I'm not sure what's for dinner, and the trash hauler comes Monday. So I'm looking ahead: Let's hope nobody cancels April!