Fighting off Mother Nature

"Yes, Old Man Winter was working with Mother Nature to ruin many people's day yesterday. And there is nothing many of us could do to stop it..."

Yesterday we had the biggest snowstorm in these parts in two years. And even with that, it was nothing like we used to have during our snowy winters. If I had to peg yesterday's storm, I would give it an average mark. And the best part was this - the storm was supposed to paralyze Iowa right after the caucus. Instead, it was only 3 inches in Des Moines and then hammered the Twin Cities with 8 - 12 inches.

This morning, as I was blowing out my long driveway for the third time this storm, I had a fleeting thought. In this second month of the year 2016, we are still helpless and hapless when Mother Nature decides to remind us who is in charge. For example, there were almost 400 reported accidents yesterday due to the weather. Flights were delayed. Buses were running late. Evening classes and some meetings (including the one I was going too) were cancelled. The weather was THE story of the day in this part of the country.

Even getting my driveway cleared is old school. I still had to get out of bed, bundle up in my warmest clothes, sit on that ice cold tractor seat, and hope it starts. If it had not started, my Plan "B" is what years ago was my Plan "A". Grab the shovel and start moving snow by hand. Trust me - there have been many times with my former snow blower that Plan "B" had to be used.

Anyway, back to my wandering thoughts while clearing the driveway. I started thinking about living further south - away from this madness. Then I remembered seeing on the news this same storm system spawned twisters as far south as Mississippi. It seems no matter where we live, Mother Nature has some unpleasant surprises for us. And again, in this year of 2016, we are totally powerless when a twister comes barreling down the street. All we can do is hope we come thought it alive.

Well, I suppose now that it is over we can thank Mother Nature for giving us a fresh coating of white. Things had been looking a bit gray around here as of late. The roads are plowed, the driveway is cleared off, and life is returning to normal. And as far as Old Man Winter is concerned - your days are numbered. Early Spring starts on February 15th.