Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Ah, the weather outside is frightful!

But then again, it has not really been frightful since maybe late October, really, when we received a surprising snowfall. Around my area, which is at a higher altitude then much of the rest of New Jersey, we had nineteen inches dumped on us! It was a seemingly freak, unseasonable storm much too early for the season, yet seemed to fit in perfectly with all of the odd and/or extreme weather that we witnessed and experienced throughout last year, with a very cold and snowy winter in the beginning, many floods along the way, a devastating hurricane, and the snowstorm in October. It also seemed to be a harbinger of things to come, and I was not the only one to think that!

Yet, here we are, late in January, and there really has not been any significant snow or winter weather to speak of! In fact, it has often been unseasonably warm or at least mild. Perhaps the biggest thing, the identifying marker, has not so much been the consistent cold or snow, like last year, but the inconsistency of the weather patterns, where it goes from mild, even reasonably warm, to brutally cold, then back to mild, then back again to cold, and so on and so forth. I am not sure if anyone predicted this or not, but I think it is safe to say that it certainly is not the winter most everyone expected it to be.

I have no proclivity to postulate about the changing weather patterns, and have no intention of getting up on a soap box and going on about global warming, or anything.  We have all heard such things aplenty by now, although the strange and inconsistent weather speaks for itself on that score, I think. It is not just that it is strange weather lately, but that the strangeness of the weather has itself become the norm. We may speculate, but the truth is nobody seems to be able to predict such things accurately. But it was not always that way. It used to be that we would consistently count on cold winters with significant snowfalls. That was the norm in this region (northern New Jersey). Upm until recently, that was only to be expected.

So why is it that people nowadays act so shocked at the mere thought of snow? I know that it can be a pain in the rear. When some think of snow, they get really psyched, thinking of the peace and calm and beauty of a beautiful winter wonderland after waking up the morning after an overnight snowstorm, or perhaps a fresh coat of powder on the slopes, for prime skiing condition. For me, admittedly, snow means shoveling and sore hands and back aches, or white knuckle driving under already stressful conditions made all the worse by so many countless idiots on the road! So, yes, I do understand how much more stressful winter can be, on many levels. That said, it needs to be recognized that it is only a natural thing that happens every since year, yet everyone freaks out about it, as if it is some unpleasant and unnatural phenomenon that is somehow a fluke an will not repeat itself.

All I will say is that it is a bit surprising, not to say annoying, that people seem to react as if these kinds of storms are such a major inconvenience, even seemingly unnatural. I live in a cold weather area, and the people that live here do, too, and should know that. We have not gone a winter that I am aware of without any snow whatsoever, and we are not likely to get one anytime soon, either. Frankly, if we did, chances are it would not be a positive sign!

Plus, winter allows us to truly appreciate the milder temperatures of spring, and the return of new life. Young, bright green on the trees and leaves and vegetation, young chicks calling to their moms, their hungry mouths gaping wide open. The days are already getting longer, all the signs are there. Spring is on it's way, and in about eight or so weeks, this winter will probably be history (although you never know nowadays, do you?). And remember all of those hot and stuffy, disgusting days of intense heat and excessive humidity? That is why I appreciate simply being able to breathe easier during the cold of winter. It definitely has it's advantages, after all.

Why get angry over something that we can't change, anyway? At least, collectively, we hope we are not changing it, don't we? Otherwise, that may actually confirm the global warming "theory" to even the most skeptical minds, although there will likely always be someone denying what's right in front of their eyes, right? So, some people may hope that the winters are not so bad, that they will not find themselves getting stuck in the snow somehow, or whatever. It might just be better if we can start by accepting it, and not fighting it at all costs mentally. It will happen every year anyway, no matter what we do. For now, it seems a nice reminder of what still remains a reality for this northern New Jersey region, as we have always known it.