A Winter Drought - by Margaret Hart

According to the weather forecasters, we're experiencing a winter drought in New England. This is a first in my recent memory.  And I, for one, am not upset about it. I don't miss the snow, sleet, ice, and piles of frozen dirt all over the roadways and parking lots (not to mention my car). I am happy that we've only had seven inches of snow this winter. Old man winter, you can keep the snow; I am ready for spring!

It doesn't seem to bother the kids that there hasn't been a lot of snow this winter; at least the kids I know.  My son and his friends seem very happy to have fifty degree days where they can ride their bikes and not have to be weighed down by heavy coats, boots, hats, scarves and mittens. 

My son, while born in the wintertime, is not a winter baby. He isn't big into skating or skiing, but he does enjoy sledding, and I had hoped to hit the slopes with him a few times this winter, but it doesn't look promising. And now that I've said this we'll probably get a huge snow storm next week. But that's okay. I am grateful for the winter of sunshine and warmer temperatures.   And I know he is, too. This past weekend he spent almost an entire afternoon outdoors, hiking through the woods, climbing trees and rocks, riding bikes and having a great time with his friends.   

Having grown up in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York, I experienced some nasty Nor'easters and a lot of lake effect snow. But not even the meanest snowstroms held us back from carrying on with our daily lives.  I don't recall my parents ever losing power.  And the plows cleared the roads  like clockwork. We were never stranded.  We drove everywhere. In fact, I can remember one time when my girlfriends and I all piled into our friend's parents Chevy, and slid some twenty miles on the local highway during a snow storm to a nightclub across town.  It was ladies night. I don't know why our parents allowed us to go out;  maybe they didn't know!

Living in New England, I have shrugged my shoulders more than once when the weather forecasters talk about snow storms and predict heavy snow fall of up to six or eight inches. It makes me laugh when people rush to the grocery store to stock up on food items, as if they think they will be stranded in their homes for weeks.  And the plows just don't seem to know how to plow the roads.  

I am already in springtime mode.  And I'm not the only one.  The birds are chirping as if they are happy, too, that this winter has been mild, and spring is just a few weeks away. The daffodils in my garden are happily peeking through t he ground, anxious to extend their stems and bloom. I'm ready to put away all our winter coats and boots, and break out our flip flops.  

If spring comes early this year, I promise not to complain if it rains a lot to make up for the so-called winter drought. After all, April showers bring May flowers.