Snow, Snow...

Winter has returned to my little part of the world...I hate snow in the spring.  My daffodils are covered with two inches of wet snow and it is so yucky when I am so ready for that spring weather!  It certainly was not the surprise that I expected when I got up this morning.

I really got a wonderful taste of spring with my recent trip to Ireland and London a week ago.  It was lovely, trees leafing out all over and so many spring flowers, but to revert back to winter when I returned was not exactly what I was looking for when I returned and it is a bit disconcerting.

The old nursery rhyme rant will do here I think, with a bit of a change of course:

Snow, snow, go away,
Blanket us some winter day -
Next Year!!

Summer - Fade In, Fade Out

We've had a few cold, non-humid days and after weeks of heat and rather extreme humidity.   You never know from day to day what' coming, unless you religiously follow the weather and even then it can surprise you.  It's funny how the weather is starting to mimic that of the places in the South that I've visited.

When I was growing up, the weather here in the summer was cooler, and most definitely less humid!  Don't misunderstand me, it had it's hot humid days and weeks sometimes of intense heat but they were few and we could revel in the high 70s and low 80 degree weather for much of the summer according to the Old Farmer's Almanac as well as my own memory. 

This spring and these first few days of June have certainly outdone most of those summers I remember in temperatures and humidity.  The amazing thing is that we've had both the cold, dry days, interspersed with those extremely hot and humid ones both within the same weeks.  

Many love the hot and sticky weather, but I find I operate better on those cooler days and tend to hide out in the air conditioning during the really hot and sticky days.  For me, the cooler temps offer a freedom from the sweat and chaffing that drives my days during these kind of summers.  That search for cooler temps has fostered my night owl habits, which continues to drive my existence even today.

So I patiently await the cooler temps.  I do love the flowers and gardens of summer, but not what makes them prosper.  I tend more to hover around the air conditioning during extremely humid days for comfort, and I pray for those first fall days. 

I know I'm strange but hey, it takes all types to make a world!

Winter White is Here!

Winter began for us in Michigan this evening. Our first wet snowfall has blanketed the area with about an inch of snow and it is a bit slick!

Last Thanksgiving we were in the middle of some of the worst snow and cold we've had in years, but this year has been extremely warm and rainy. (Funny how years can be so different.) We actually had fifty degree days this month which has been a quite distinctive weather pattern for us here in the Mitten state. November and December are usually cold and snowy.

So what does this mean? Is it a harbinger for a warmer winter - or is it a warning of a hard winter? Lots of questions are being asked from those of us who like to be a bit prepared for the onslaught of this season. According to the local weather pundits we are suppose to get more snow than last year - but of course last year was way over the amount of snow we normally get in a season so we still could end up with a lot more snow than usual!

For those of you who don't follow my articles, winter is definitely my favorite time of the year and I love snow! Weather has been an interest of mine most of my life so I'm going to keep track of the snow related events this year as I have in years past. I will make work in the next few days of getting some pictures up of our snowfall here in the next few days to so you can enjoy our gorgeous white stuff too!

I Do Love the Winter...Most of the Time!

We're in line to get another storm tonight and tomorrow during the day, but as the week progresses we will be getting rain and temperatures around the mid to upper 30s. This is a strange winter! We got 10 inches with the last snow storm we had on Friday, and now it seems we are in for 5 to 10 more inches!

Winter here is always the ups and downs - sometimes severely cold all the way to low to mid 30s. It is seldom solidly cold and snow, that's why we all complain about brown, or gray snow that comes from the mud and water from the melting snow.

I have to admit that though I love snow and the winter weather this early winter weather has made me think - is this going to last through March? As I've mentioned before we usually have winter actually begin with all the snow and cold in early January that runs through early March, but if it lasts until then it will end up being a whole month longer! I guess I am hoping for a warmer January!!