Friday, November 21, 2008

I am NOT encouraged!



Ok, 9:00 a.m on November 21st and the temp is 21 degrees. It's gone up two degrees in the past 20 minutes or so.

Anyone that knows me very well will know that I HATE WINTER! I hate being cold. I'd rather deal with being hot in the summer than being cold in the winter. That's just me.

A good friend in Michigan, up above Traverse City, said he's got 4 inches of snow on the ground with 6 to 8 more by weekend. Yeah, ok, but I don't exactly live in northern Michigan, do I?

We had some pretty good snow flurries last night, as well as a few on Monday morning. I doubt we get anything significant before January, but still. I haven't seen flurries this early in the year since the snow of Halloween '89 (remember that? - Melora was a senior in HS and she, her sister and a friend went trick-or-treating as carolers).

Ok, yeah, I like snow for Christmas, though around here that seems to be more the exception than the rule, which makes it really special when it happens. I remember actually praying for snow on Christmas as a kid. But after January 1, that white stuff is just not welcome. Sure, kids love it, and a nice, clean blanket of the stuff is pretty for awhile. Then people drive on it. It turns to slush (if it doesn't freeze again), it gets blackish-gray and it's just gross. I say we skip winter and go straight from Fall to Spring. I know, I know... there's too many seeds and plants that need a hard freeze to germinate and grow. I'm just saying...

I will tell you this. About two or three months ago... back when it was still nice and warm and sunny out... I was in the back yard doing something (don't remember what) and I had this funny thought race through my mind: "Blizzard. We're due for a blizzard." And I could see the yard full of snow. Made me a little worried actually. I barely remember the big one of '78. Snow drift up to the top of my swing set in the back yard. Let's hope it wasn't a premonition I had.

All that, and I still have leaves to rake. Silly Silver Maples and Bradford Pear took forever to shed leaves.

Stay warm, my friends!

3 comments:

Joel said...

Due for a blizzard?! What about last winter? Did you not get the storm we did in February?

Columbus ground to a halt for a few days. We had like 2.5 feet or something. I remember thinking, "Well, this will be remembered as the Blizzard of '08."

'Course, I remember the Blizzard of '78 as well. I walked to school in it! No lie!

Dan said...

No, Joel. We didn't get that. Terre Haute, much like Cincinnati, is in a valley, so our weather is kinda poo poo for snow. But we did get a flood in June! 14 inches of rain in under 24 hours!

You really walked to school in that blizzard? They HAD school? How far did you walk? What were your parents (with all due respect) thinking?

Joel said...

My mom failed to hear the radio announcement that Marion Community Schools were closed. So she walked with my sis and me to Center School, only to find it locked up. I was like 6 years old. I remember the mustard-colored scarf I wore over my face -- Jaena and I were crying the whole way back -- man, it was awful. But that was the Blizzard of 1978. I'll never forget it.