Monday, January 9, 2012

If I hear one more person...

"I have reached the end of my rapidly fraying rope."


That's a phrase I've said a few times to my husband in the past 4.5 years of wedded bliss.


I said it the other day and it had nothing whatsoever to do with him.  It had to do with this winter weather, or lack thereof, that we've been having.  


All fall, everywhere I went, I heard the following phrase:  "You know we're going to get 200 inches of snow!!"  What I found the most ironic and most maddening about it is that it invariably was said by someone who has daily snow removal.  


Not someone, like me, who may have MONTHLY snow removal.  I am not exaggerating.  It happens so infrequently that we write it on the calendar.


I can't stand that sort of pessimism from those who don't plan their lives around the amount of snow, wind speed, wind direction and the amount of diapers they have left in the house.


Let's take a look at last year, shall we?
Those are 6+ foot drifts across our road.  The only road in or out of our farm.

There's at least 5 feet of snow in my yard, my whole yard and everything in the yard.

Remember?  Remember how stressful it was to be 9 months pregnant and wonder if you would go into labor when the road was blocked?  Remember how you had to spend an extra day in the hospital because your husband was home alone with two toddlers and couldn't leave them to use the tractor to open the road?  Remember how your whole family waited with bags packed for the plow to come so you could go to Fargo for a speaking engagement?

You don't??!!  I guess it was just us then.  And our neighbors.  And anyone else who lives out in the country.  

What has my dander up these days is that some people (again, those with daily snow removal) keep saying "We're going to pay for this nice weather!"  WILL YOU JUST SHUT IT!  I'm so tickled that we don't have to fight snow every moment of every day that I could just burst.  A smile lights my face when I look outside and don't have to wonder if the 4 wheel drive will get us there.  You can't imagine the joy!!!  (Although, there is a very, VERY mild disappointment that the kids don't have snow to play in, it is completely offset by the fact that tonight we took a family walk and they rode their stick horses.)

So, to those of you who INSIST on spreading your weather negativism, spread it somewhere else.  Like on your compost pile, where that kind of garbage belongs.

I, for one, LOVE it and will continue to be THANKFUL for each and every day!

And, if you need me, I'll be sleeping outside in my hammock tonight...

2 comments:

  1. I am with you on this weather thing! It is such a nice change to not have to fight the snow, look for lost hats and mittens, listen for the plow to go by so you can drive to work and not freeze the moment you step out the door.

    I'm with the kids, too, it is fun to play in. But I in no way will ever have any use for 200 inches of snow!

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  2. I am right there with you! This has been a huge annoyance to me as well this year. Everyone around here is so fatalistic and every day when we don't have snow, they say "but you know, we are going to have to pay for it somehow or another..." and I am thinking, "Ok, you have A CAR... you do not have to push a toddler in a STROLLER for a MILE each way every day to get to daycare, so please... let me ease into this first winter when we do have to. I appreciate not having to do so through 3 feet of snow." Even on days when it is a little cold, I am always so appreciative for every single day when we don't have to figure out how to trudge through snow. I know it won't be like this forever, and I know we will have to figure it out at some point, but I also know it is not going to snow in June, so every day that it does not snow is one less day we have to deal with it - it won't get added on at the end of the winter like a snow day from school!

    Thanks for posting - felt good to join you! ;)

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