A Return to Winter

Sunday Morning, March 16, 2014 Dawns

I decided to return to Winter for the weekend. Despite the wintery storm approaching Maryland, I determined to drive to upstate New York to experience real winter just to remind myself what it was like.

It is cold! There is an incredible amount of snow and the car received a dusting of the unpleasant white stuff overnight. It is depressing.

Dusting on the Car

The drive yesterday began under broken skies with scattered rain showers. By Harrisburg the skies were blue and clear. It was a stunning drive except that I longed for the greens of Spring and Summer rather than the grays and browns of the Winter. The weirdest part, however, was that as my journey crossed into New York, the skies became dark and threatening and despite the 40-something degree temperatures I felt sure that I was going to soon be enveloped in a blizzard--which, thankfully, did not happen.

Snow in the Yard

The gray skies did compliment the mood of the trip. But, I am happy to report the trip was pleasantly uneventful and that my parents were restored to their home after sojourning for the past two months to warmer climates--well, Houston anyway. Lucky them!

I have determined that this winter really needs to end and it appears it is going to remain until well after the calendar says it is over--which, by the way is Thursday when Spring starts which the vernal equinox. I hope Winter takes the hint.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY