Perry Nicholson is a patient at Hamot Medical Center today, and everyone knows a hospital is the last place you can get any rest. But I'll bet that bed at Hamot feels mighty comfortable to Nicholson, who's 93 years old.

David Bruce's front-page story on Nicholson in today's edition of the Erie Times-News tells an amazing story of real grit and determination to survive. On Monday afternoon, as Nicholson made his way to his mailbox in Millcreek Township, he slipped on a patch of ice and landed in deep snow. Burdened by all the layers of clothes and outerwear he had on, Nicholson couldn't get up.

Despite repeated attempts, he failed to pull himself out of the snow, which is more than two-feet-deep in his neighborhood. So, Nicholson was forced to just lie there -- in single-digit temperatures -- hoping that somebody would drive near his property and see him. It didn't happen for 14 hours, and Nicholson admitted that he never thought he would last that long. But, amazingly, he did. Except for severe frostbite on his thumb and index finger, which could yet require amputation, Nicholson seems to be recovering quite nicely from his horrifying ordeal.

Bruce, a veteran Times-News reporter, tells the story in an informative, engaging way. Readers can readily identify with Nicholson, and Vivian Johnson's photographs reveal a man who looks more like 63 than 93.

What we learn here is that Nicholson's planning helped save his life. When he went out to the mailbox, he just didn't dash out of house, wearing a sweater or a light jacket, as many of us would. He wore thick coveralls with a hood, a heavy winter coat, gloves, insulated boots and a wool hat with earflaps. Talk about dressing for success. Without such planning, his chances for surviving such a bitter cold night would have been slim.

Erie has been bombarded with snow, arctic air and high winds for more than two weeks now, and, speaking as an old reporter who cut his teeth producting winter weather stories practically on a daily basis, it's hard to come up with fresh angles every day.

Today's paper does a good job of connecting with readers through stories about real people. Best of all, the stories have happy endings. Tim Hahn, the newspaper's police reporter, covered the birth of a baby Wednesday at the welcome center on Interstate 90, near the Pennsylvania-New York state line. The mom was a trucker.

Winter weather stories in the Times-News need to be about more than just snow and ice. And these two articles are good examples of how to do it right.

-- Kevin Cuneo

** Send a comment about this blog, so we can have a dialogue **