Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Winter Wonders - No Whining Please

The polar vortex has returned, and millions in the United States are in its grip.

Here in upstate New York, things are not that much out of the ordinary.  (I want to assure my readers that what you've been hearing about Boston is NOT happening here.  Crossing fingers that it doesn't, either.)

Remains of basil peek above snow.
Ho Ho Ho, Merry February.

But winter has become serious business for many.  Boston is buried - 90.5 inches of snow (almost 230 cm) since January 24.  As I live on the edge of the snowbelt, I've seen that kind of snow (and more), but not all in a three week period.

People are going to war over parking spaces that took hours to clean out.

The mayor is asking people not to jump from their windows into snowbanks, saying "This isn't Loon Mountain".  Swim suits seem to be a uniform for that activity.

Weathermen are starting to apologize every time they must forecast snow.

The elevated trains have shut down and commuters face up to four hours commutes. 

On Saturday, thundersnow (yes, thunderstorm) was predicted by 1pm.

The resulting thundersnow video fascinated a baby who, apparently, hasn't learned to hate snow yet.
Sign in Brooklyn after the Boston Marathon bombing - it's been a bad two years for them

Boston is buried, and may not be found again until summer.  In the meantime, Boston has asked points south to stop whining about shutting down during smaller snow totals.
Sanibel Island March 2013
It does make me think fondly of Florida.  It made Ithaca, New York think of Florida, too, as a tourism website promoting Ithaca encouraged visitors to visit Key West, Florida instead.

No doubt about it.  In the Northeastern United States, we are tired of winter and the polar vortex.

For the second day in a row, I beseech spring:  please come back.  Soon.  Whatever we did wrong, we're sorry.  We won't do it again, ever. We miss you.

Not that I'm whining, Boston.
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15 comments:

  1. songbird's crazy worldFebruary 18, 2015 at 7:58 AM

    I think we are all sick of snow. Stay warm.

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    1. bookwormFebruary 18, 2015 at 5:44 PM

      Was -2 this morning. Worse tomorrow with wind chill. I'll try!

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  2. Coach Donna WardFebruary 18, 2015 at 9:12 AM

    Wow! Loved the screenshot of temps - We have never seen that here in our alpines - That was amazing just to see! And that video - so cute and tells us a lot about human nature! Fun post you had!

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    1. bookwormFebruary 18, 2015 at 5:45 PM

      He he, you want screenshots of cold, I can provide that. Watching that baby respond to the adult enjoying the weather was so cute, wasn't it?

      Delete
  3. ScottFebruary 18, 2015 at 9:53 AM

    Us Midwesterners are just laughing at the whining coming from the east coast. Last year we got pounded and set records for consecutive days with highs below zero. Where was our sympathy then?! ;)

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    1. bookwormFebruary 18, 2015 at 5:50 PM

      I used to live in Kansas (and lived briefly in Iowa) so I had a taste of that neglect myself. The media tends to concentrate on the East and West Coasts and - I guess, in between, they think there is some kind of inland sea. Certainly no large cities or population centers to concern themselves with. It's too bad.

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  4. peppylady (Dora)February 18, 2015 at 11:33 AM

    The east coast seem to be one of the lead story on news. Here on in North Idaho below my front window I have quite a few bulbs up.
    Coffee is on

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    1. bookwormFebruary 18, 2015 at 5:51 PM

      Too bad the news media seems to neglect things that happen between the East and West Coasts.

      Delete
  5. joangogreenlivegreenFebruary 18, 2015 at 11:39 AM

    Hi Alana,
    Great post and YES WE ARE BURIED here in MA lol You may be right, we might not dig out until summer lol Time to think about moving to a much, warmer climate with palm trees :)

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    1. bookwormFebruary 18, 2015 at 5:52 PM

      I'm having my annual "I want to be a snowbird" identify crisis now. I hope future storms miss you (and us).

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  6. Bethany M.February 18, 2015 at 12:39 PM

    I am glad you aren't buried under snow as much as Boston is right now! What a winter to live through! Whew. I bet the kids there will have stories they will tell for the rest of their lives. I do complain about the snow, but I think it is a coping mechanism, and helps all of us draw together {as we all mutter about how cold it is} so you might say it is good for relationships. ;-) Just kidding. In all seriousness, we should probably not complain considering how so many people are having a much worse winter than we are. Time to pull out the sleds, hot chocolate, and heavy wool sweaters methinks.

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    1. bookwormFebruary 18, 2015 at 5:55 PM

      Massachusetts is a lot worse off than we are but the children will weather (no pun intended) it fine. Boston has such narrow streets, though - I can not imagine what they are going through. Well, I hope they come through OK. I wonder about old people and how they are getting food, and getting out to doctor's appointments - it must be really hard for them.

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  7. Betty CarlsonFebruary 18, 2015 at 2:30 PM

    Wow, I am not keeping up on Boston enough. I know my daughter in NYC, though, has been complaining of some more snow and, especially, cold.

    I think I'm going to check out some Boston news sites!

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    1. bookwormFebruary 18, 2015 at 5:56 PM

      It's bad - I've been to Boston and I know how narrow those streets are. I do hope the elderly, especially, can survive this OK.

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  8. blogqueendianeFebruary 18, 2015 at 7:50 PM

    The video of the people diving into the snow cracked me up -- had to send the link to everyone I know. It's going to be in the 20s tonight here in South Carolina, but we should still be grateful, huh?

    ReplyDelete

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