I try and keep the front steps and the comfortable built-in bench below them clear of snow in winter. The bench catches the days’ sun and even in this season, on sunny days it is a pleasant place to spend a little time sitting and enjoying the spectacle overseen by the house. A few days of sunny weather make the space most attractive, but stormy days easily overwhelm it. Late in heavy winters I end up sitting in a snow pit, out of which I can see only the sky.