Hope Springs Eternal

If you haven’t been following the weather news, let me say that it’s darn cold down here. Normally, I like the cold. My mantra in New England was: “I’d rather do two winters than one summer.” And I still believe that. You see, snow justifies the cold. A snowstorm or blizzard is one of life's premiere experiences. Nothing is quiet like the quiet of a snowstorm. It’s as if all sound in the world suddenly disappeared. And a blizzard is tangible nothingness.

And the day after the storm when the sun shines, everything is pristine as if the world has been remade. At least until the snow plows and sanders have their way. But the most remarkable snow experience is thundersnow. Yes, it’s a real, but rare event. It’s basically a thunderstorm. But instead of rain, you get snow. And no, you can’t hear the thunder because it’s muffled by the snow. Instead, it’s a surreal light show where pockets of the dark, snowy sky light up as if a spotlight has been shown on them.

So you see, snow justifies the cold. But plain cold is just plain cold. Your knuckles get raw and bleed. Your feet are never warm—okay, I wear multiple pairs of socks and that helps. You have to wear layers and layers of clothes so you can’t enjoy your mid-winter Caribbean tan. (I know, you don’t feel too sorry for me.) You always have to fight someone to sit in front of the fireplace, and it’s usually the dog. What’s up with that? Jez has a heavy fur coat, but she’s always nosing her way to the fire or the heat-dish.

In spite of it all, it may be that winter will finally validate its existence. The forecasters are predicting snow for tomorrow. I hope, I hope, I hope....