As a child, and as an educator, I loved snow days. Every time it began to snow at night, or waking up to it snowing, I always hoped for a snow day. I loved school, most of the time, but it was still exciting to hear school had been cancelled for the day, and maybe for even a second day.
Just 20 years ago, we’d get storms dropping six, seven inches or more of snow. It would then stick around for a while because the winters were cold, and stayed cold. Snowing for a day or two was nothing unusual. Winter was still a thing then.
This is my third winter back in the Midwest. The first winter, we had some snow and an ice storm. The second year, we had a little bit of snow here and there, and a polar vortex. This third year, we’ve had much more rain than snow, a little freezing rain, and you’d never really know it was winter; it is supposed to be in the 40’s later this week. The end of January and it’s going to be in the 40’s with rain expected.
As we rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, and the world begins to take steps to heal the planet, I often wonder how long it will take.
Within my lifetime, will it snow in November, in December, in January, in February, and maybe even in to March? Will it get cold enough for the ground to freeze, to kill off the insects, and to help the land for the farmers?
It took us thousands of years to bring the planet to its current condition. Will it take us thousands of years to fix it?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 