The winter isn’t so bad … for a short while.
Last year, my area was odd in the winter.
No snow. Warmer temps. And, well, the ability to head out and do non-winter things during the winter months.
For those who dislike the harsher winter weather, it was a slice of perfection. Well, kind of.
Though this year started out that way, winter has shown its face. And it’s been a bit ugly. In the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I used the snow blower three times — that’s two more times than last year. That one time last year probably didn’t even need to be done, but we got a wet snow and the plows pushed it all in the driveway. It was much easier to snow blow than shovel.
For those who don’t know, I recently interviewed for a job in the south. Despite high qualifications and, what I thought, was a pretty solid interview, I didn’t make it to the final round. Some day I’ll truly share that experiences, but for now, I’ll leave it be. Anyway, when I get deep into the job process, I’ll often research the place where the job is located.
After all, you want to know what you’ll be dealing with, right?
The place where I was looking had some long and hot summers. I can deal with weather as it comes, but it made me realize there would be a chance I wouldn’t experience four full seasons. It’s one thing I think some take for granted when we live in the Northeast. We get a healthy spring, a variety in the summer, usually a colorful fall and then winter.
Winter can truly be beautiful … at least for a little while.
We see it all.
During those seasons, we have the ability to go see different things — wildlife, nature and the such — that goes with each season. And, it also allows us to do many things. For those who are into it, there’s four-wheelin’ and snowmobiling. You can hike in different weather.
For me, I can play softball in the summer, disc golf in most seasons, geocache all year and get out and experience different things. A couple of years ago, I even had the chance to do some snow shoeing. I’d actually like to do that again, someday, but need to be able to get shoes that feel comfortable and work on my feet better than the ones I used.
As a photographer, it’s great, too.
Winter is actually, to me, the hardest season to shoot in. With bright white snow or whatever else, it can make it tough. But some of the images you can come away with are incredible.
Also, it’s quite nice to drive on some back roads after a fresh snow and see it sticking to tress. It’s a beautiful thing.
This area is expecting some warmer temps this weekend, so some of the snow we have might be looking to disappear. And, for all I know, most of the winter might be leaving. But no matter what, we got a bit of it this year and it’s not a bad thing.
Turns out, winter isn’t so bad after all.
I don’t know where life will eventually lead me, but I do know that no matter what, I’ll cherish some of these winters. The path I end up following might still take me to a warmer climate, so I might not always get the four seasons. Don’t get me wrong — the long winters are tough. But a decent winter isn’t too bad as it truly gives you a highly enjoyable slice of life.
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Here in St. Louis, we usually get pretty cold temps but not a lot of snow. Or feet of it. Or it’s warm. Yes, the weather here is fickle and can be frightful. I’ve always preferred Winter to Summer but maybe it’s because I’m older, I seem to get colder than I used to. I also have more outdoor things I’d like to be doing that I don’t when the temps are in the 20s & 30s, so I’m done with this Winter 🙂
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I can fully understand — and appreciate — these comments. I used to love it a lot more as a kid, that’s for sure. I don’t do many thing when there’s snow (cold, I can deal with for the most part). But I won’t lie that I enjoyed watching some friends take their kids sledding and such.
Alas, I’ve said in recent years, my idea snowy winter starts a week before Christmas and ends a week after the New Year’s. 🙂
The older I get, the less charm snow holds for me. When I was in my 30’s, we used to go up to the Lake Tahoe area skiing every year (cross country, not down hill), but now I just avoid the cold. I used to love it. Now it hurts! LOL!
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I still love the snow — for a little while. I don’t ski at all, but I do enjoy it for a bit. But when winters drag, not so much!
Here in Scotland we have had a reasonably mild winter so far which is unusual! Sometimes we get snow in March just when the daffodils should be springing up!
We have had snow come at some odd times as well. I remember it coming in May before. Which, obviously, is never really welcomed! 😀