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Friday, 1/22/16 11 am
I used to live in a tiny town in Northern Vermont, known for it’s record snowfalls. My kids went to school even if the temperatures were near or below zero. In July my kids took swimming lessons at nearby Joe’s Pond, and often came home shivering, with blue lips. We put storm windows up in September and made sure cords of wood were split and stacked inside the barn attached to our house, where we could retrieve it easily when the wood stove was burning low. All of the produce from the garden was in and preserved by the end of August. We made and sold our own apple cider from the falls from our antique apple trees in September and October. I made sure the hay loft was filled with bales of hay to feed my sheep and angora goats during the cold months, way before summer was over.
1/23/16 around 3 pm. Snow still coming down.
I lived there for about twenty years. Toward the end of that time, dealing with the dark, cold months was getting quite old. I suffered from what I called the Winter Blues, officially known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, which usually took hold in December and lasted well into March or April, depending on how the winter weather was going.
This weekend it snowed 18” here in Charlottesville. It was dark and cold. I got sick with a very bad cold and didn’t appreciate the snow, even though it’s absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of Vermont and why I moved here to Virginia.
This winter there has been very little snowfall in Vermont. The ski areas are going bust.
It stopped snowing here around 7 pm on Saturday. On Sunday the sun came out, it warmed up to near 50 F and the snow started melting. Monday more melting and sun. Today I’m going to the grocery store. My cold lingers and it’s going to rain tomorrow.
Who dares say that global climate change is a myth?
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Just across the mountain, we had 24 inches, Joan. It was a lovely snowstorm. But all that snow will soon be gone. I love this kind of four-season climate. Just like Camelot: “The winter’s are forbidden ’till December. And exits March the second on the dot. And there’s a legal limit to the snow, here.”
It’s hard to know which weather changes relate to our use of fossil fuels and which ones might have been there anyway. But, like you say, no use denying that it is happening. Two years in a row of record heat on the planet can’t be denied.
The worst is yet to come. I try to live lightly on the land, but that’s about all I know to do.
There is good evidence that we, the people, are responsible for most of what is happening. Yes, there are changes that occur without our hand in it. But we all need to stop making selfish demands on our planet. Our country is way behind most of the world in doing what needs to be done. Voting for the right person to take this on is something we can all do.
Joan, I agree that we are responsible for not taking care of our planet and are now seeing some hard-core evidence through these tangible and changing weather patterns. I used to love the snow when I was fit enough to ski but as I get older, I am less tolerant. There is something very strange about not having snow in our area this winter. I love not dealing with the elements and yet feel something is not quite right. Nature’s natural rhythms have been disrupted and as we know, it ‘s not wise to mess with Mother Nature. Waiting for the shoe to drop in the Northeast.
Yes, and we (here in that little hamlet you called home so long ago — what a spectacularly small world we live in) did not see ONE flake from Jonas the entire time. Of course, we got our carpet of white that looks often like marshmallow fluff a bit earlier. Joan, I never EVER thought I’d be living in a land that goes below freezing for a good portion of its winter. Until I lived in a land that goes below ZERO (farenheit) for a good portion of its. It’s all relative. My Vermont winters are one of my favorite times of the year. Well, until the Vermont Summer is in full swing. And, I imagine you’re missing them too about that time. ??
As for climate change — I hear from my friends who own a local sugar house (i.e., maple syrup farm) that within twenty years, the maple industry will be gone in Vermont. Winters here are getting shorter and much more sporadic. That’s expensive when you run hose to 3,000 trees at a time. In fact, I ‘ve also heard that in 50 years, the climate here in vermont will be what it currently is in Virginia. Just think, you may wind up coming back “home” again. Then you could write another book: YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN.
Wait … I don’t think I’ll be around in 50 years, Janet. If I am I’ll know that what we’re doing on this planet is changing more than the planet. I think often of spending summer in Vermont, but have also heard it gets hot and humid up there now. That rarely happened when I lived there and when it did, we complained mightily because no one had heard of air conditioning up there.
I’m feeling the same way about snow these days, Kathy. It’s beautiful to experience big snows like we had here, but the chaos it causes in places that are not used to lots of snow, like Virginia is costly. When I lived in Vermont I cross-country skied most days and love it. But my balance is off now and I think I’d end up in a terrible tangle if I tried it.
According to our local weatherman, the temps are supposed to be near 60 this weekend. Absolutely crazy.
Joan — Your post reminds me of why we moved away from the greater Chicagoland area. We were oh-so-tired of the long-lasting, gloomy winter months and shoveling 7+ feet of snow each for what seemed like months (and months!) on end.
Dear God, thank you for Boise, Idaho. Amen!
Laurie, Boise does sound like one of those ideal places. I’m very impressed with what you write about it, its greenness, and all of the parks and natural areas within the city. I’m so happy for you.