I’m convinced at this point that Winter is the bully in the neighborhood. And by ‘neighborhood’ I mean North America. And by ‘bully’ I mean the kid who’s happy to knock you down by throwing a rock at your head and then kick you in the ribs while you’re still screaming and dripping blood from the rock. I’ve given up on expecting things to get easier this year, stopped hoping for that respite we usually get once or twice between December 1 and March 31.
‘Cuz Winter’s a jerk, and he’s decided to just pummel the crap out of the rest of us. It’s gotten to the point now where I look at the forecast not with hope that the temperatures might actually rise above freezing for a day or two but more to see just how miserable the next few days (nay, weeks) are going to be. You know it’s bad when 27 degrees is something to rejoice about and you see 6 degrees and think, Eh, it could be worse.
I’m resigned at this point. We kind of knew, I think, that this winter was going to be rough when the weather turned cold in October — and then never really warmed up again. We got lucky the last couple of years with generally milder weather interspersed with the occasional freeze. We were due another hard winter. It’s been, what? Five or six years since the last time we got three years’ worth of snow in one storm? Not counting all the other light snowfalls that keep adding insult to injury. Winter has apparently decided it’s stayed away for too long, so now it’s opted to dig in and stay for a while. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Spring will arrive early and nudge — none too gently, I hope — Winter out of the way. Maybe, but I’m not counting on it. Because at this point, Winter’s just being mean.
Now, please excuse me. I need to go find another sweater.
