So it’s snowing across the U.S. today. It started yesterday, sweeping across the Great Plains, eastward toward the Mid-Atlantic and New England states. It brought blizzard conditions to some areas — mostly areas with a long history of blizzards — and a predicted total of six to ten inches of the fluffy white stuff to the Washington, D.C. area.

Well . . . so what??!!!

Yes, it causes problems: power outages, downed tree limbs, traffic snarls and accidents. And, having lived most of my life in the D.C. area, I can attest to the fact that it just takes a dusting of snow to create total havoc on the roads there . . . even with all of the plows and sand trucks working around the clock.

But my point is this:

It’s January! Has anyone even looked at the calendar? In the Northern Hemisphere, that means it’s winter. Snow is normal.

And six to ten inches is nothing, compared to some of the real storms I remember in D.C. I recall one that dumped so much snow, in such a short period of time, that it took some of my co-workers as long as twelve hours to get to their suburban homes. I made it home in “only” three hours . . . for what was normally a 20-minute drive.

And another year when we had two back-to-back blizzards in February. That time, the last traces of snow piles didn’t disappear until early May.

So why is this storm such earthshaking, worldwide news? I fear it may be that we’ve become accustomed to the “new normal” of generally warmer temperatures. It’s called global warming, folks. And, to be brutally frank, it makes me happy to see a good snowstorm now and then.

Oh, I know it’s easy for me to talk from my perch here in the Southern U.S., where today’s forecast is 65 F., with some rain. I don’t have to shovel the front walk and driveway, or worry about skidding into a tree by the side of the road.

Or falling on my ass on my way to the car.

I do sympathize with those who may be without power, or whose jobs require them to go to work despite the difficulties (especially the first responders and snow plow operators). But such is life in the winter.

And be honest. It is beautiful, isn’t it?

And it’s January, after all.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/6/25