Homeless in the snow last month

 This is the little porch on the side of an abandoned building where I've been sleeping for the last three months or so.  I took this shot the day after we had 11 inches of snow here in Richmond.  I built a wall across the doorway with cardboard and snow to keep some wind and most snow out of my little sleeping space.  I also lined the place, which has three little steps, with cardboard for insulation.  I spent 17 1/2 hours here, the night of the snowstorm, because the businesses I usually go to for breakfast and in the evening were closed.  That made for a really tough night.  I intentionally didn't post this photo, because my sleeping spot is every bit as sketchy as it looks, and I don't talk about most of what I'm dealing with day to day.  But since several people are trying to help me get back on my feet now, I decided to show you my reality.  It would take a few days of searching to find a better spot, and move my stuff there, like a tent in the woods somewhere, and it may not be any safer or warmer.

 A view of the snowstorm from inside the Starbucks in a nearby Target store.  Winter wonderland... until you have to go out in it.

The benches in the local McDonald's patio area tell the tale of how much snow we got.  This snowstorm, the worst early season snowstorm ever in Richmond, and about the 12th worst snowstorm ever here.  The weather is just one thing I'm dealing with as I work to build a small business around my art and writing, and to make enough money out of that little business to get myself out of homelessness. We're getting a snowstorm this weekend.  Unlike the December 9th snow, the snow we're about to get will last for days, possibly weeks.