Only 6 more weeks of winter

Hallelujah! The groundhog has seen his shadow! Only 6 more weeks of winter!

What?

You don’t think of it that way? That the shadow is a bad thing and that winter will drag on for 6 more weeks.

You don’t live in Wisconsin.

The snow has taken a (probably, pessimistically short) break. I think it has been 2 weeks since snow fell. This is the longest reprieve since, well, November. It has been a snowy winter. I am tired of it. In 2000, when Rob’s mom was ill and we were driving back to Milwaukee every weekend and some days in between, we had the snowiest December on record. Then we moved to Milwaukee and it stopped snowing. It was a treat to show snow to Miranda as a baby and toddler. In fact, the snow stayed away until we moved to Cedarburg in 2007. The fact that we do not have enough garage space here and so we have to clean off the snowy cars is not lost on me.  Last year, we had the second snowiest winter on record (96 inches). The snowiest winter was 1885-86. They suffered under 109 inches of snow. When it gets really cold and inhospitable in winter, while I am snug in my house heated by the forced air gas furnace, I try to imagine how cold, wet, yucky and tiring snow would have been in the 19th century. But I have to admit, I think nearly everything would have been tiring in the 19th century.

Miranda and Texas Blue Bonnets

6 weeks from today is March 16th, a full week before spring is even supposed to start. And about 4 weeks before I would expect spring to spring around here. I’d love to see spring peeking green buds on the trees and tulips making their locations known. We drove to Texas in late March 2005. We watched spring blossom like a time-lapse photography movie. It was delightful. And then depressing to return to the brown and chilly north a week later.

As much as it would enrich my soul to think that we’re done with snow for 9-10 months, I think we’ll see more. And I will try to think positive things about snowmen, sledding, and snowshowing, while I am dreaming of green leaves, bicycling, and short sleeves. 6 weeks? I can only hope.

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