Our friend Cindy made this cheery snowman for us last year and he has been hanging around on our front door all winter. But after 167.2 inches of snow, what once seemed like a happy smile on his face now looks more and more like a smirk, or even a grimace.
Sorry, snowman, it is time for you to go to the basement.
As of yesterday, this winter ranks as the fifth snowiest winter since 1950. Everyone told us that last winter was pretty mild and unusual; now we know for ourselves just how easy last winter was. And last winter we lived in an apartment and did not have to shovel anything but our front walk. Now that we are homeowners, we have cleaned every inch of the white stuff ourselves. Who needs a gym membership when you can start the day with weight lifting and cardio, just from battling the snow?
On Saturday, the temperature reached 50 degrees and it was raining. Yesterday, we got hit with a winter storm. I knew it was going to be bad when I turned on The Weather Channel yesterday morning and Mike Siedel was reporting from downtown Syracuse. He was right; unofficial totals show that between 10 and 18 inches of snow fell in the past 24 hours in Onondaga County. And today is only the second day this winter that schools have closed.
But spring is coming. The Canada geese are returning; I hear their honks as they come in to land on the river. I know that a harsh winter is the price we pay for glorious springs, mild summers and spectacular falls. And I would rather shovel snow any day rather than experience tornadoes, hurricanes, wild fires or mud slides.
Update: This winter is now officially the fourth snowiest winter in the past 60 years; the most recent storm brought 13.4 inches of snow and the season's total is now an astounding 173.5 inches. Holy cats, that is a lot of snow.
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