Winter

     Today was our first “COLD” day of the season.  It makes me wonder how many more we will have in the days ahead?  It also makes me consider some of the days of the past.  I grew up in a small middle Georgia town and most of our winters could get a bitter cold.  We had very little snow, but about every five years we would “ice” over.  When the wind blew it was a terribly cold chill in the air.  By the old post office the road had about a five percent incline.  It was enough when the ice hit to make most cars slide and spin and many could not even get to the top of that little hill.  I remember an older gentleman, the name eludes me today; however, he would sit his tow truck at the top of the hill and wench vehicles up the hill for $10 a pop.  I’m sure on some days he would make a nice amount of $10 bills hooking up and pulling those vehicles up to a safe point on the road   I recall an incident in the early seventies when my home town got SNOW!  I think the “official” record was about TWO inches.  I was in the military serving in Turkey at the time but my Mother sent me a picture she had taken of the road in front of our house.  ALL the drivers of the vehicles had abandoned their vehicles right there in the street.  There were four or five empty vehicles just sitting empty in the street!  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

     That brings another story to mine when I was in Turkey.   I was living off base at the time and would have to take a bus from town to the base every day for work.  One morning that I got up and went to the bus stop I noticed that overnight we had received a heavy dew on the ground.  The streets only appeared a little wet.  After waiting for the bus for a little longer than I thought I should have another GI stopped and offered me a ride to the base.  After I got into the vehicle he explained to me that the buses weren’t running that day because of the “snow”!  I thought it was a little strange and we both had a good laugh about it while we drove to the base.  After getting to work, my Captain told me that most of the town had been closed because of the weather.  Later when we received the base newsletter it stated: “Community comes to stand still after being hit by the worst BLIZZARD in the past thirty five years!”  Again I could only laugh!

     Since moving to Colorado I understand a little better what COLD and SNOW are really about.  There have been several storms since I moved to this area which impressed on me what a REAL winter can be like.  In January of 1983the State was hit in some areas with some nineteen inches of snow.  Then only a couple of months later (in March) we were hit with another nineteen inches!  While being here in Colorado I’ve even seen it snow in JUNE!  Yes, I said June.  But what stays in my mind was the winter of 1997 (October).  Denver had over 21 inches of snow with drifts in some areas up to TEN FEET!  In our area in the southeast portion of the State I went to bed that evening expecting perhaps four inches of snow the next morning.  When we got up we had drifts over FOUR feet!  We couldn’t get our front door open and had to go out on the back deck and DIG our way around to the front.  Our van was covered with only about two inches of the antenna showing.

     So I sit here today with our first COLD air (34 degrees) of the season and I wonder what is this winter going to bring?  I guess I’ll have to be like everyone else and just wait and see!  If I could control the weather I’d be in a different line work and making A LOT more money!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"The snow is beautiful when you can stay at home

and watch it out the window."