Winter in the Midwest?

 

“Sunny Skies sleeps in the morning

He doesn't know when to rise

He closes his weary eyes upon the day

Look at him yawning.”

If you live in the northern part of the U.S., you should be accustomed to winter; if you live in the south, you know this thinking is foolish. I must be foolish as I have lived in this area my entire life. I am really growing tired of it. It’s only January.

Yesterday, the buzz in our area was the impending snowstorm. It must have been really concerning, because our local Baskin-Robbins even closed early. No big deal, until someone in our household had a hankerin’ for some mint chocolate chip ice cream. Solution, Haagen-Dazs. This should never have been an issue, but then again, Baskin-Robbins closed early.

Over the past 24 hours, we have had about 7 inches of snow; that is based upon “railing measurement.”  This was our first real snow fall of the season, so it could have been a lot worse. It will be even worse if we get a lot more in the coming days! Over the past few years, I believe we have had a lot less snowfall than in previous years—-our average is 36 inches. 

Go back to 1978/79 and look at our whopping 89.7 inches that year—it was so bad, the mayor at the time lost the coming election because the snow was not being cleared for several days. I didn’t live here then, and I am really glad I didn’t—-however, I was fortunate to be here during the “polar vortex” a number of years ago. That was really tough.

If I don’t like winter, I know where it comes from. My Mom just hated the winter weather and would not drive in the snow. It was rough for her, and when we knew snow was coming she was pretty vocal that she was not going to drive. Fortunately we didn’t use the Old Farmer’s Almanac in our home, otherwise it would have made her more nervous. She was a real character and I miss her very much—but she still hated the snow.

In the coming years, we will be leaving the north. I can’t give a specific time frame, but when we do, we will NOT be coming back anytime between January through May if we come back at all. 

Here’s why…

The photo below was taken in Florida last year during the spring; the weather was warm, the skies were clear, and the people from up north were grateful to be there. Why do we live in the north? Because it's home. For now.

Thanks for stopping by.