According to the calendar, today is the first day of spring. How can it be spring when we didn't really have winter?
According to the National Climate Center at Cornell University, the 2011-2012 winter season was the warmest on record since 1902 - the average mean temperature was 34.5 degrees. Not only was it warm, but we did not get much snow: Hancock International Airport received an inch or more of snow on only 15 days. To really understand how mild this winter was, consider this: as of March 14, we had received 50.6 inches of snow; in an average winter we would have received 111.9 inches of snow by that date and last year, we had received 174.2 inches of snow (source: GoldenSnowball.com)! So from last year to this year, the difference was an astounding 123.6 inches.
The upside of a mild winter is that James used the snowblower only twice, Aidan missed only one day of school, our heating bill was lower and I did not develop trigger finger from grasping the snow shovel handle. But those of you in milder climates might be surprised to hear that there is a downside: we did not have the opportunity to use our snowshoes at all, Aidan went sledding just once, we did not get to try cross-country skiing and Aidan did not get to go downhill skiing again. To put it bluntly, we feel a little cheated that we did not get to enjoy more outdoor winter fun.
The past two winters have been an amazing study of contrasts. Would it be too much to ask that we have an average winter next year?
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Bowled over
Who knew it could be so difficult to plan a small birthday party in March? Our first thought was to have Aidan's tenth birthday party at an indoor sports facility, where the boys could play soccer or some other sport. Great idea, except that because it is an indoor sports facility and March is typically a month with winter weather, the facility has league games scheduled and parties can only be held during the day, weekdays only. Harumph.
Our next thought was to have it out at Beaver Lake Nature Center. Great idea, except that March is maple syrup time and the ONLY month when they don't host birthday parties. Harumph again.
We then told Aidan he could have a sleepover with several boys. Before we could finalize details and invite the boys, an incident occurred during winter break where he had a sleepover with one friend that did not go well (the inspiration for the Works in progress post) and we told Aidan that it would be a long, LONG time before that boy would spend the night at our house. Harumph, harumph, harumph. And since that boy was one of the boys whom Aidan wanted to have at his birthday sleepover, he had a choice to make: hold the sleepover without that boy, or choose another option. Aidan choose to do something else, and we finally settled on a party at the local bowling alley. Even then, the first two days/times we chose were already booked, so we had to have it this past Saturday afternoon.
It turned out to be a very fun party. Here Aidan shows his bowling skills:
They took a break from bowling to eat pizza:
We served whoopie pies from Geddes Bakery instead of cake, and Aidan was thrilled to receive a Wii game, two Legos Star Wars kits and two Nerf guns. At the end of two hours, we bagged up the trash, paid our bill and were done. No muss, no fuss, and no pack of boys rampaging through our house. Not bad for a party with fourth grade boys!
Our next thought was to have it out at Beaver Lake Nature Center. Great idea, except that March is maple syrup time and the ONLY month when they don't host birthday parties. Harumph again.
We then told Aidan he could have a sleepover with several boys. Before we could finalize details and invite the boys, an incident occurred during winter break where he had a sleepover with one friend that did not go well (the inspiration for the Works in progress post) and we told Aidan that it would be a long, LONG time before that boy would spend the night at our house. Harumph, harumph, harumph. And since that boy was one of the boys whom Aidan wanted to have at his birthday sleepover, he had a choice to make: hold the sleepover without that boy, or choose another option. Aidan choose to do something else, and we finally settled on a party at the local bowling alley. Even then, the first two days/times we chose were already booked, so we had to have it this past Saturday afternoon.
It turned out to be a very fun party. Here Aidan shows his bowling skills:
They took a break from bowling to eat pizza:
We served whoopie pies from Geddes Bakery instead of cake, and Aidan was thrilled to receive a Wii game, two Legos Star Wars kits and two Nerf guns. At the end of two hours, we bagged up the trash, paid our bill and were done. No muss, no fuss, and no pack of boys rampaging through our house. Not bad for a party with fourth grade boys!
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