Enough is Enough

The calendar says that tomorrow is the first day of Spring. I fear there has been some mistake. You see, this morning I woke up to find this when I gazed out the front window...

By 5:00 this afternoon it amounted to 5 - 6 inches of new, fluffy, ugly white stuff! Will it never stop? This winter wasn't really too bad...until February and March came around. The last 7 weeks have been brutal, by southwest Michigan standards anyway. 

However, the long-range weather forecast calls for warming into the 40° range this weekend. 

Could that be the final change I'm so longing to see??? 

C'mon God, work with me here. Our beautiful yellow and white crocus flowers are under 6 inches of snow and begging for sunshine. And, well, so am I. 

What a Difference 2,400 Miles Can Make!

Recently, we spent a terrific week in Nuevo Vallarta, 

enjoying the sun, water and beauty of the central Pacific coast of Mexico. 

Swim-up bar, of course!

Beautiful landscaping throughout the grounds of the resort. 

But, all good things must come to an end. We returned home to find winter was still in full force. 

I know they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, 

but winter really does have a special peacefulness, doesn't it?

It's B-a-a-a-a-c-k

We've had a very enjoyable, spoiling reprieve from our normal winter weather for the past few weeks. Beautiful sunshine and deep blue skies and temps reaching into the 50s. It was hard to remember this is Michigan and this is January.

Well...she's back! It was terrific while it lasted, but this morning we woke up to the results of the Winter Weather Advisory the National Weather Service has been warning us with for the past three days or so. Only a couple inches of snow fell here, but yesterday's rain-changing-to-snow created icy conditions that caused all area schools to close for the day.

Still, every passing day meant we were that much closer to spring's arrival, so we have no reason to complain.

Spring, Oh Spring, Where Art Thou?

Did you ever have one of those winters that just seemed unwilling to release it's hold? Well, this appears to be just that type of year. As I write this in mid-April, it is 36° at 8:00 in the morning. The weather folks say we may see 52 degrees today, but enough already! We celebrate Easter this Sunday and at this rate my Easter bonnet won't have frills upon it; I'll be wearing my fur-lined hunting hat instead! (see profile photo at right)

The veggie seedlings are growing well for the garden, but unless something changes they won't be safe outdoors until July 4th or so. That's just not acceptable, Mother Nature. C'mon, let's get the warm up going, OK?

And unfortunately, this winter-hanger-oner affects more than just our temperature. As evidence, check out this photo from the back of our office building taken just 3 days ago:

Our 3-inch snowfall on April 18th. 

Yes, it all melted by day's end, but still...can we please hear the birds singing, feel sunshine and have afternoon temps of at least 60 degrees?!!!? 

{end of Paul's whining}

More 2011 Blizzard Stuff

Seeing the stories and photos from around the country today underlines the fact that this was definitely a rare monster storm crossing the country. I like a bit of snowfall Christmas Eve, but this is way over the top!

Lake Shore Drive in Chicago was a mess. It remains closed this morning.
------------------------Scott Olson/Getty Images

Lake Shore Drive during the storm. Some people
stayed with their vehicles for NINE HOURS!

This image, courtesy NOAA, shows the monster storm
on Tuesday, February 1, from 22,000 miles up. 

Clearing snow in Dallas. I know they're not prepared to handle snow there,
but I can only hope my driveway is this clear by March 15th!!!

Poughkeepsie, New York. I love a church with a sense of humor.

I'm hearing that up to 100 million people (nearly 1/3 of the U.S. population) were affected by this storm. I know the East Coast has had their fill of Winter's wrath; I'll bet we all have had about enough.

Michigan Winters

To me, a winter in Michigan is a time of recharging one's batteries. The grass doesn't need its weekly attention, the garden is asleep waiting for the next spring, and the lake cottage is buttoned up until warmer weather arrives, giving me time to spend reflecting and planning for the year ahead.

Winter weather in Michigan can be mild and laid-back, or when all things meteorological come together just so, all hell can break loose. My most memorable and life-threatening winter is 1978, when Michigan was hit with what is now known as The Great Blizzard. In January of that year we lived on our little 40-acre farm in rural Allegan county. Our home was situated on a private dirt road, about 300 yards off the paved county road. From January 25-27 we received well over 20 inches of snow, accompanied by gale-force winds. That combination closed roads, airports and even caused the University of Michigan to cancel classes for the first time in its 140-year history. The way the wind piled up the snow was both beautiful and scary.

I remember we almost lost Glenn on the day that storm began. He was walking home alone from a neighbor's house after being dropped off the school bus. His route was a shortcut through an open hayfield, as usual. He had walked back to our place that very way dozens of times, but with the snow and wind that day he became disoriented and we had to go out and find him to bring him home; dangerous stuff to be sure.

Thank goodness blizzards are a rare occurrence here. Still, with the average season snowfall of 75 inches or so, winter in west Michigan is a great time to just hunker down, start a fire in the fireplace, get out a good book and chill.

Garden seed catalogs have begun arriving lately, a surefire sign that Spring can't be too far away. I love to plan our little garden, using leftover heirloom seeds not planted last year, or the seeds saved from a few of last year's best-producing crops, and then ordering a few more for our next gardening season.

Our little "square foot" garden in 2010. 

I know, we won't feed the world with that little garden, but it augments our own needs quite well. For 2011, I'm adding two more 4'x4' raised beds. After this photo was taken, we added six raspberry bushes, hoping for a small harvest this year. Looking at photos like this make it easier to accept and survive another winter, knowing a new and warmer season is on the way.

For the past 10 years or so, I've enjoyed spending a week in (hopefully) sunny Florida during the month of March. The bulk of winter weather is over in Michigan and a few days of warmth and sunshine are a welcome change. For many years, those escapes were to Englewood Florida, where my Dad spent many winter months after his retirement. The past few years, after Dad's passing, Orlando has been my destination, using one of the timeshare weeks from the RCI account I received from Dad.

Sunshine, bright blue skies and palm trees do wonders
for a person after months of cold Michigan weather. 

For now though, with views like this on our back deck at the moment and weather forecasts expecting highs in the teens this week, that good book and cup of hot coffee seem like the best idea for the time being.