Dreams of White

At the end of November, we should expect wintry weather to be rolling across the country. Instead, global warming brought rain to Minnesota Sunday, wiping out the snow that fell Friday. Now, Mother Nature is trying to work her wonders across the Midwest with mixed results. At this time, no new snow has fallen in my part of Minnesota, but the blizzards have hit South Dakota and Nebraska.

People are wimps when it comes to winter weather. I am waiting for a real snowstorm like the Halloween blizzard of 1991 that caused Governor Arne Carlson to call off school for the entire state. Even at my young age of 23, I remember playing in snow forts carved directly from drifts and accumulation (not forts built in the snow piles). When a decent snow does come through, look at how people react: four highway deaths and many miles of closed interstates so far. I liked the early picture on the article of a guy shoveling his sidewalk--even though I hated being him years ago--"toughing out the cold." People who disagree with my view on cold/snow should move south to temperate climates. I, for one, want Minnesota to retain its reputation of four distinct seasons.

When will real winters return?