National Weather Service
I used to like snow. But for almost a decade, I couldn't really enjoy a good snowstorm.
For eight years, impending snow was cloaked with dread for me because of the inevitable political fallout. If all went well, well, that was expected.
If all didn't go well, I heard about it. Boy, did I hear about it. There were times when I wanted to say something along the lines of, "Listen, people. This is Wisconsin. It is December. It snows here in December. When we plow snow it ends up in your driveway. I can't suspend the laws of physics. Just deal with it."
And then when the snow was cleaned up I would stare out of my office window and dream of cross country skiing, which I could seldom make time for.
But last year I thought it'd be great. I could enjoy the storms, let somebody else worry about getting the streets plowed, and go skiing whenever the mood struck me.
And then it didn't snow. After getting pounded for four winters in a row, we had one of the mildest and driest winters on record.
All of that apparently changes later on this evening with blizzard conditions forecast into tomorrow. My plan is to sit on my enclosed front porch with a thermos of coffee and a good book, admire our Christmas tree, and listen to my favorite holiday music. Dianne and I might play some Scrabble or watch a Christmas movie if the mood strikes us.
And then on Friday I'm going to my favorite cross country ski trails at Indian Lake.
And through it all, I will not complain. There are something like 1,200 lane miles of street to be plowed in this town, and we use half the amount of salt other communities use per mile in order to protect our lakes from runoff. So, don't nag your alder, don't whine to the mayor, don't beat up on the Streets Division. It's December in Wisconsin. Pour another cup of coffee, grab a good book, put on some music. And deal with it.
I like snow again.