It's a bit eerie. Not Erie. No Lake Effect, not a single flake, in fact. It's the middle of December, for heaven's sake. We should have already seen nearly a foot of the white stuff.

The dearth of snow is making headlines locally, of course. But I was thinking about putting in a call to the Weather Channel. Why is it news when we get dumped on in November, but not newsworthy when a city which the media has (incorrectly) dubbed the "snow capital of the nation" has no snow whatsoever well into December? Then an AP piece was picked up as far afield as the UK by the Daily Mail, and Citylab jumped on it with the cleverly worded "Buffalo Breaks a 116-year-old record for ...No Snow" this week.

The only snowflakes to be found in Buffalo this week are the striking photographs of flakes painstakingly taken by Doug Levere. The exhibit Fire & Ice at CEPA Gallery will be up through January 2, and Levere and Alan Friedman (the "Fire" in Fire & Ice) will speak at CEPA on Wed Dec 16 at 6:30pm.

"Snowflakes have become my passion," admits Levere. "They avail themselves to me within the small window of time I have to photograph them & the short time that they exist. Their delicacy, strength & elegance keep me standing in the cold on endless black nights...there are so many negative identifications this city has with snow. I find it a joyous task to reveal these gems that are hiding in plain sight." Yes, he shovels each winter along with the rest of us, and is still able to celebrate these unique crystals that are usually in our midst. To learn more about Doug and to see more of his work, visit his website at www.snowcrystals.us. His work was also featured in the New Yorker.

Admit it. It feels a bit weird to be approaching Christmas without a trace of the white stuff. We'll tire of these tiny miracles by March, so remember to enjoy the clear skies and sidewalks, dry feet and warm toes while this temporary respite lasts. Leave the boots and mittens in the closet for a few more days, get out and walk without shoveling and make the most of it.

The first snowfall in Buffalo promises to be more magical than ever this year.