This winter, I resolved to not dwell on the weather. "You are in a new place," I told myself, "you have to keep an open mind and just go with it." But there has been a bit more than I can just placidly accept and move past without comment.
Don't Like the Weather in Virginia? Wait a Week, It'll Change
The week of Valentine's Day we had a snowstorm that dumped 12" of snow on us. Within a few days temps were in the 40s, a couple of days after that we had a thunderstorm with rain, tornado warnings and electricity going out, and a couple of days after that, temps hit 80. It is now a week after our 80 degree day and we are expecting another snow storm tonight. Weather whiplash? You bet. *
We Have Had 13 Snow Days This Winter
Yep, two times this winter we've had snowfalls that required plowing, and we've had 13 snow days. I don't even know what to say about that. Up do this point, I've kept the fact hidden from my friends and family in Minnesota, who are struggling through the hardest winter in 20 years, because I am embarrassed by the number of snow days we've had. I'm sure you are asking yourself how we could have had 13 snow days with just 2 significant snowfalls. Well, one day was because of "extreme cold" (daytime temps were in the teens). I know, I know. To put that in some context, most kids here don't own snowpants or snowboots. Two people I know had pipes in their house freeze during that period because the houses here are not built for that cold and are not insulated for it. Some of the other snow days have come when we've had freezing rain. The roads get slick and dangerous, especially in this country where there are twisy, turny, up and down roads through the hilly country, and the county doesn't have the equipment or supplies to get salt and sand down, so we basically have to wait until it warms up and the ice melts for the roads to become safe.
The county also doesn't have the equipment and supplies to handle the snow when it comes. It only snows here about every four years, so they don't invest a lot in snow removal equipment. It takes DAYS to get the roads plowed after a snow storm and for people to dig themselves out. When it only snows every 4 years or so, very few people have snowblowers, or even shovels. Every time snow is threatened, EVERY store sells out of snow shovels and ice melt. Right now, with a storm headed toward us just two weeks after the last, stores haven't had time to re-stock and the shelves for snow shovels and snow melt are still bare.
This winter has been an experience. Often I have had to consciously decide to not say anything when someone asks me "How are you handling the cold?" Inside I say "SERIOUSLY???? YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT COLD IS!!" But on the outside I say "Oh, it's not too bad." I remind myself to keep an open mind and try not to judge.
*I posted this on the morning of March 2nd. By 11:00 a.m. it was 65 degrees, sunny and beautiful. By 4:00 p.m. it was cold and raining. That rain is supposed to turn to freezing rain overnight, then 8-10" of snow tomorrow. By 8:00 p.m. tonight all area schools had been cancelled, the public library closed, and Quantico (the Marine Corps base near here) is closed. As I've said before, when the Marines call a snow day, it's got to be bad. We shall see.
No comments:
Post a Comment