Or is Mother Nature teasing us?
The snow is gone. The temp is supposed to get into the
mid-sixties today. Despite the large dumping of snow last Wednesday and
again on Saturday, the ducks are back in the pond. And for three days in a row, the sun
is shining.
Gotta be Spring.
Then again, the worst snowstorm I’ve ever been in occurred on
St. Patrick’s Day. Newly married, Hubs and I took a weekend vacation Up
North (what Michiganders call traveling north of the middle of the state). Hubs
has fond memories of time spent at a church camp near Grayling as a camper and
as business manager. On Saturday, we took a leisurely walk through Hartwick
Pines (an old growth forest) where a light snow was falling. As we drove south planning
to visit friends in Lansing, the snow increased. Traffic slowed. Cars spun off
into ditches or the median. Hubs’ knuckles turned white as he struggled to keep
our car on the road. When we passed a snow plow stuck in the median, we decided
it was time to get off the highway. Apparently, so did a lot of other people.
We got the last motel room in Alma. After that, they started putting people up
in the high school gym. And the state police closed the highway.
The next morning, the snow had stopped. The sun came out.
The highway was open. I’m sure there have been worse storms since then, but
none that I’ve been in.
Is Spring here? Or will we get dumped on again? You never
know. One thing I’ve learned about Michigan weather is to expect the
unexpected.
My latest PI mystery, The
Case of the Fabulous Fiancé, takes place around this time of year. It
starts in winter and ends with the hint of Spring. Despite the weather, Alex O’Hara
runs every day. She’s a hardy Michigan girl who doesn’t let snow deter her.
Rain, yes. Not snow. What’s putting a cramp in her investigation business is no
receptionist, phone and internet problems, and three new cases. Plus, her
boyfriend disappeared over two months ago. What’s a girl to do? She keeps on
keeping on.
9 comments:
We've had the on-again, off-again winter, too. Our snow storms have been surrounded by rain storms. It's not supposed to rain in Tahoe in the winter! Today is sunny and beautiful but more rain is predicted. Sigh. Weird winter.
Ah Great Minds, Diane. My post for Friday somewhat mirrors yours. Living in Michigan, being snowed in is just one part of it. Nothing nicer than sunshine after a blizzard. Especially when the snow can't stand up to the glow and simply melts away.
Here in California, we're finally getting some rain, so Spring may be normal this year. My fruit trees are in full bloom and I think they 'set' before the winds we got yesterday. We'll see. My orange tree has been giving me fruit all year. In fact, the tree drops enough oranges for our breakfast every morning. Isn't that convenient?
Unfortunately, we had an extremely mild winter, and I'm afraid Spring is definitely here (I am not a fan of Spring, and without a cold winter, we'll have awful issues with bugs and heat this summer....ugh!). But, I'm glad you're having the kind of weather you prefer! :) Gorgeous photo!
Jannine, weird winter is right. But don't you need rain in CA? I thought there was a drought. Or is it only in certain parts of the state?
Funny, Margo. I love it when we don't have to shovel the snow (or haul out the snowblower). Melting away is perfect.
Rolynn, how great that you get oranges every day. Good rain, too.
Alicia, I share your fear of a mild winter not killing the bugs. From what I've seen on national weather, OK has been getting a lot of nasty weather.
We have a saying in Virginia that's similar -- If you don't like today's weather, just wait for tomorrow. I never look at the forecast. I just stick my head out the door to see what's going on each day. :-) Here's to a continued spring!
Post a Comment