Is this a ray of hope or a warning signal?

A sharp line of light broke through the clouds, straight from the setting sun all the way to Manhattan. It was close to the water line, as you can see: nature fired a shot over the bow.

It's been over two weeks since the grim cold set in. This was January 26, when we saw that the ice would not stay in pretty, ruffled white swaths extending from the banks of the river ever farther into the channel. No, we looked and the surface was sealed. That's it, we thought. It's not just "very cold." We're trapped.

Yes, that's a ferry bravely making its way, one of the last to pass unaided. The ice was not yet very thick. But it was solid.

I gave up thinking, "Yeah, this will be gone tomorrow." Sometimes you don't get your normal back. Face it: food delivery, hot water, that was then.

This is now. And this is the now of much of the world's population. For me, the ice will melt. There will be laundry and amazon Prime. What about the rest of humanity?