Weather: It's All Relative

I live in the North Georgia Mountains. At least, geographically. When I first moved here I met more people from Florida, than Georgia. One day I was getting a manicure and as the others in the salon and I were chatting I discovered we ALL were 'from Florida'. At first, the manicurist maintained she was from Georgia, but then she mentioned she was born in Plant City, FL and moved here when she was 4.

I have jokingly stated that Blairsville, GA is technically the northern most town in Florida, only Georgia thinks it belongs to them. Occasionally, I meet a 'local'; someone who was born and raised here. More often than not, when the conversation gets going, even someone who is from "Minnesota" will interject "when we lived in Florida" into the conversation. Once in a while I will discover that someone I considered a 'local' actually came from somewhere else, most often Florida. So, while I live in Georgia, sometimes it just doesn't seem that way.

I love this town. It is nestled in a beautiful part of the Appalachian Mountains. Summers get warm, but not as hot as Atlanta. Fall and Spring are lovely. We have four seasons. Snow makes an appearance, but it's not too serious. By that I simply mean we get inches, not feet. However, because we live in the south, a few inches can shut down this town as easily as 10 feet shuts down Buffalo. Maybe not. I'm not sure if anything shuts down Buffalo.

Truth be told, around here if there is snow in the mountains the people living there are stuck until it melts off. Sometimes that's in a few hours. When the weather is cold it can be several days. The 3 trucks with a plow are too busy keeping the main roads in town open to worry about anything more than a mile out of town. Salt? What is that? I'm pretty sure, Pittsburgh has cornered the market on salt. When we lived there I routinely found a bucket load of salt at every intersection. Here, we use gravel, (mixed with salt they say...).

The weather this week has separated us from Florida. The high one day was 29 degrees and that was at midnight. At 3:00 that afternoon we were sitting at 24 degrees. Then the cold front went through. The low was 9 degrees with a windchill of -1. That's right. I live in Georgia and we are expecting -1! Today the snow hit...and the town shut down. The predictions rolled in yesterday and by nightfall, schools were cancelled for today, along with everything else.

Our Winter Blizzard

Sorry Buffalo, but we here in the south, just don't put up with that stuff. We fold without a fight.

-1 is cold, but I give kudos to my daughter in Iowa. They finally decided to cancel church when the windchill was predicted to be -40!  I'm happy in the 20's. It's better than -40. But this is the one time of year I feel we separate ourselves from being a Florida town. If it ever hits -40 there we will know Hell is freezing over.

Wait! I didn't meant Florida is Hell!! I really didn't! I simply meant if it is that cold in Florida then Hell is probably freezing over too.

Making God Laugh

There is a line that says "If you want to see God laugh, just tell him your plans."

I believe it's true. I can document some of the chuckles I have given God over the years.

In my early years I followed what came naturally. I graduated from school, went to college, met the love of my life, got married, had kids....I followed the pattern. Then Larry decided he wanted to change jobs. He got a new job. He wanted to move south. I wanted to move north. I thought New England was the perfect place to be. (Of course, the only time I had ever spent in New England had been in the summer. It was beautiful. It was friendly. It was fun. Let's go there!!) Or Colorado. (It has mountains. It is beautiful. Let's go there!) Larry checked the statistics for salesmen in fishing and hunting. He was looking around. I thought to myself, PLEASE, NOT the SOUTH!!!! So he picked Florida. Ok, Technically, Florida is just a northern state that was placed south of Georgia, so maybe God was just looking for a giggle, not a real laugh.

7 years later:
I have finally adjusted to living in Florida. I've decided it's ok if I stay here. It took awhile, I know. I was a reluctant transplant. For the first time since we've moved here I've made plans for the fall. I will be my daughter's Girl Scout leader. The phone rings..... within hours I've discovered we are moving to Ft. Lauderdale. There are only 2 places in the U.S. I don't want to live. California and Miami. God apparently needs a pick-me-up. Time for a chuckle. Send her to Ft. Lauderdale. Her husband can work in Miami.

After 4 years of penance I am returned to that place I didn't want to be in the first place, Tampa. And I am THRILLED!!!!! I can not tell you how happy I am to be back there. Ironic isn't it? God has a great sense of humor.

Fast forward several years. My oldest daughter is approaching marriage. No proposal yet, but could be soon. I look at the church where we've been a member for years. These people have been a part of her life. I can see it. The pastor that will marry her, the organist that will play at the service. The couple in our church that can sing the solos at her service. I can see it all coming to fruition.....

There is not a happy ending here. Let's just say it never happened. 1) the pastor retired. 2) the organist and one of the soloists had an affair. 3) Fortunately, my daughter had her own plans and her own church so she had her own people lined up. I suspect God wasn't laughing. Perhaps there was a trickle of a tear. But there was a happy wedding, even if it wasn't what I had seen. And He was smiling.

2005--I can see the future. Although Larry and I moved away from our extended families, I have a great chance of having my kids around me in the future. Jen and Dave are in Orlando, with strong ties to the area. We have been in Florida for 25 years. Janice has proclaimed that she doesn't want to move from Florida. (HA)!  I'm feeling good. I never see it coming.

Jen starts the dominoes. She and her husband are looking at teaching positions in Charlotte, NC. I'm ok with that. A couple of months later, Janice announces she has been on eHarmony.com and met a guy named Mike who lives in Iowa. IOWA??????? (I can't tell you how long it took me to wrap my head around that!) Larry completes the Trifecta. His job is eliminated. He starts a nation-wide search. I can see all my plans collapsing around my head.

God must have needed a real belly laugh with this one. Jen stayed in Florida. Janice married and moved to Iowa, and we moved to PA. What happened to my vision of a family close by in Florida? (Author's note: I've been to Iowa many times now, and I really like it there. More importantly, so does Janice!)

What prompted this post? Why am I talking about all this history, now? The weather.

We, by that I mean most of the east, are having a crazy winter. Super cold is one part of it, but most areas are experiencing very high snowfalls. Recently, I was clearing snow for the 3rd day in a row. After a while it gets boring. And annoying. I get up in the morning and then try to decide if I need to shovel or get the snowblower out now, or later because it's still coming down.

As I was clearing it, I thought to myself, "It might be cold in Georgia but I won't be doing this!"

And the next morning I heard the weather report:" Extreme cold in the south and record snowfalls" for an area without snow removal equipment.

And I thought to myself, "REALLY GOD? Are you that bored? Are you laughing with me or AT ME????"

God has probably laughed at me more than this, but sometimes I'm too blind to see. All I know is that deciding I know my future is futile. But I'm sure I'll keep doing it. Someone has to bring a chuckle into His life.

January Doldrums

It's that time of year. January. Snow. Gray Sky. And then came the freeze! What a freeze. For 2 days while the thermometer stayed below zero, Maggie and I holed up inside.


Then the snow melted. The weather warmed up. And it RAINED. I think the sun has gone south for the winter. It came out one day for about 10 minutes, but I missed it. I was in the basement packing up the Christmas decorations.


I'm supposed to be grateful for all things. Well...... let's see.... hmmm....how can I say this?
I'm not grateful for the below 0 temps, the -35 windchill, and the constant gray sky! Maggie has been asleep for a week. I keep checking her to make sure she is breathing. She gets up, walks in a circle around the kitchen island for 3 hours at night, since she can't get out for her walk.


The icy snow has been a challenge for her, too. Twice I've had to go out and pull her up the hill to the front door. The first time was during the height of the freeze when the wind and the cold were just too much for her. And the second time came when she squatted to pee. She slipped on the snow and sat down and couldn't get any footing to get up. She just sat and waited for me to walk down and help her up. She is a constant reminder that getting old isn't fun.


So how am I handling all this great weather? Well, yesterday, I finally gave in. I woke up in a bad mood, and as the day progressed I didn't get much better. Finally around mid-afternoon I grabbed my coat, and a leash. It was gray. It was wet. It was above 32! One out of 3 was an improvement. Best of all, the sidewalks were clear of snow and salt so Maggie and I went for a walk. We both felt better when we got home. She went back to sleep. I added a Vitamin D infusion.....a nice blend of Florida Sunshine and Russian grains and potatoes. When we lived in the south a Screwdriver was a nice end to the day. Here in the north it becomes a must-have when January and February set in.


Let me end this mid-winter rant on a more serious note.


We survived the Polar Vortex very well. Pipes didn't freeze. Power stayed on. Not everyone was so lucky. I had a fire in the fireplace, and an electric blanket on the bed. I holed up on the really cold days with hot chocolate and a jigsaw puzzle. How VERY blessed I am!


In Florida cold spells could mean nights in the 20's. That's bitter cold when you're used to the 50's or 60's. When I lived in Tampa and we went through cold spells I worried and prayed about the homeless that were living under bridges and huddled around fires in a barrel trying to stay warm. I snuggled into my warm waterbed. (OH, they are so much better than electric blankets. The mattress is warm when you crawl in! Wow!) And I gave thanks, and prayed for those without heat. Since then I've never taken for granted the blessing of a warm bed.




In Pennsylvania, I still think of the homeless but I know there are many "Warming Shelters" for those who are without heat. I am thankful that there are people who are looking out for those in need.


And when the winter doldrums set in, I'm grateful for a warm coat to wear on a brisk day. I felt so much better once I inhaled fresh air. And then I warmed up with that great OJ infusion. And for that I am also Very thankful!

Changes

Today I am holed up in my office. Music plays on the radio. Lamplight gives the room a cheery feel. A candle fragrances the air. Photos of family smile at me. It is a cozy place to hang when outside it is cold, gray, and snow flakes flutter to the ground.

I think this is a Landmark Year for me. It is the end of February. Tomorrow March begins. It is snowing outside, if only ineffectively. The temp outside is hovering at 32 and the snow mostly melts when it hits the ground. This is the best of both worlds. I see the loveliness of the snow, but there won't be any shoveling to do later. In February that is always good news, because by now, I've usually had my fill of shoveling.

So why is this a Landmark Year? Because even with the gray skies I am feeling very even-keeled about the weather. It hasn't always been so. In fact, I was a little afraid to say anything until I survived the month without losing my senses and collapsing into despair even if only for a moment. Winter tends to try my sense of optimism at least once. For proof, go back to 2010 and read this post. http://viewfromanemptynest-connie.blogspot.com/2010/02/some-days-view-is-just-plain-cloudy.html
But this year, so far, so good!

Change doesn't come easily to me. (I alluded to that in my last post!) After many years in a warm, sunny--let me repeat that--SUNNY climate I was surprised at how hard I found the initial impact of a northern winter. I had grown up in Pennsylvania, so I figured it wouldn't be that hard. I expected the lack of sun to be harder than the cold and it was, but even more than I was prepared for. After 5 years, I seemed to have turned the corner on that albatross.

There may be some simple reasons for this improved outlook. The first one is simply Time. I've had time to adjust.

I first noticed a change of attitude last Fall. As the leaves disappeared I didn't groan in anticipation of a long, cold winter. I was back to my childhood self of enjoying each season as it came. Fall, followed by the 'holiday season' of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, which leads into True Winter--That season that has few distractions, except, perhaps, Valentine's Day.

There was another aspect that may have helped my attitude. Larry travels extensively in the winter. The first few years we were here I told people if we had a snowstorm, Larry was in Minneapolis. Because he usually was! In fact I remember getting up one morning to see his tire tracks in the newly fallen snow in the driveway. It had snowed overnight, but he had left at 5AM for the airport...leaving me to clear the sidewalks, steps and driveway.

This year our first snow occured over Christmas...and he was here to clear it out! I liked that! Of course, he was gone every other time it snowed, but you win some, you lose some.

He was also around in January a little more than usual. So that means I wasn't alone perhaps as much. And best of all, we haven't been inundated with blizzards or heavy snowfalls.

Whatever the reasons, the truth is still good news. I made it through February without losing it. I know spring will get here someday, but I'm no longer silly enough to think the month of March has anything to do with that! If anything, March is one more month to get through cheerfully. And I'm pretty sure I can do that.

I'll just keep the lights on, the music playing and light another candle.

March 1st!

It's March 1st! Normally this does not fill me with joy. To me, March is not true spring, just the promise that winter is almost over. Anyone who has lived through March in the north knows it can be cold, windy, and damp. We can still get a heavy snowfall. But this year I am ready to welcome it! Of course, the fact that the day dawned sunny and clear certainly helps, even if it was 28 degrees outside. There was a new view outside, too. The snow was all gone.

After Christmas is over, I leave out a few 'snow' ornaments to decorate the house in winter. A couple of lighted snowmen, evergreen trees and pointsettias (silk of course) brighten the house on winter evenings. A collage of pictures hangs over my microwave. I change them with the seasons. Last week I decided I was ready to put the decorations away and take the ground hog at his word. I swapped out the pictures of snow covered branches and geese on a frozen pond for the spring shots.

When I took a tour of the yard I discovered the daffodils are just as anxious as I am. It's really too early for them, but I have several that are 3 inches high already! My magnolia tree has fuzzy buds. And today, as I drove out of the neighborhood I noticed the treetops on the hillside across the road had a red tinge to them as the sap returned to the top branches.

Spring is on it's way. We've put February to bed. It is March 1st. April is only 31 days away! With a 2 week trip to Florida planned it will be a very good month indeed!

Snow

It's that time of year when snow brings mixed feelings. Well, maybe 'mixed' is a nice way to put it. Truth is, it's that time of year when the prediction of snow makes one sigh and want to pull the covers over one's head.

The truth is, how I feel about snow depends entirely on how much we have, and how often we've had it. The first snowfall is beautiful. A heavy snowfall can be fun. Sledding, snowmen, snow days are the best parts of winter. But while kids cheer when they have a snow day, after a week of snow days they are more than ready to get out of the house and go back to school and parents are holding that door wide open! After 4 months of cold weather and snow covered ground, we are all ready to see the bulbs poke through the ground and buds appear on the trees. We may have another several weeks of snow covered ground, so before it leaves I'd like to remind myself what I really like about the white stuff.

There are 4 things I really like about snow.

1) Snow fall softens the world. Stand outside while it snows and the world is silent. Snow doesn't make a sound as it falls. The birds and animals are quiet. And when it is over, the edges of the world have been smoothed over in a blanket of white. (I'm referring to a gentle, normal snowfall, not a Blizzard so keep that in mind!) When the sun comes out, the world sparkles.




Deer in the ravine



View of the ravine below our house.

 2) I can see the deer! This is probably my favorite thing about snow. There is a small herd of deer that travel around and through our neighborhood. They usually move at night and bed down during the day. Frequently they settle in the ravine below our house. I rarely see them most of the year, but when the snow is on the ground I can sometimes pick them out in the underbrush. Their camouflage is very effective, but I've learned to look for the 'rocks' on the hillside and pick out the ones that change location from day to day. There is one tree stump with underbrush that can look remarkably like a buck, but I've never seen a buck down there and it never moves. Rarely can I see all 4 deer in the herd, but I know if I see 2 the other 2 are there somewhere. When the snow is gone, the 'rocks' are well hidden in the underbrush and my deer viewing is over.



Close up of  ravine hideaway. Deer like to hide in the thicket during the day. Sometimes I can see them. Other times....not so much!

3) The exercise--The first winter we were here I was really annoyed by the daily inch or two of snowfall. By the end of that winter I had to admit all that shoveling helped keep me in shape. A little snow fall is as good as a 2 mile walk for getting the blood moving. After enduring 3 heavy snowfalls last winter, this year we bought a snow blower. I still shovel when we get just an inch or two. The snow blower on the other hand is a psychological boost when we get a good snowfall. So far this year, it has kept my primal scream at bay and proved it's value.


4) At night my view of the neighborhood reminds me of a Currier and Ives picture. We live on a hill and when I look out our window I have a great view of the town below. Houses line the street as it winds down the hillside. The night view is one of lights; lights in windows, by front doors, on lamp posts. The lights tie us together in a sense of community. Cover the terrain in white snow and the night takes on a brighter glow. It reminds me of the old Currier and Ives pictures of New England neighborhoods, minus the horse and buggys.


I've lived in the sunny south too long for winter to ever become my favorite season, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy certain aspects of it. So for the next few weeks, I'll continue to watch the deer and get my workouts, even as I count the days until I head to Florida for a two week warm-up!

15 Minutes of Sun

Today we had sun. After spending a winter here in this part of the world, I learned it was important to notice the sun when it came out. The second winter we were here I put a blue line on the calendar every day we had a few hours of sun, and a blue circle every day that was mostly sunny. It definitely made the winter easier to deal with.

Today is also February 2nd, Groundhog day, and the day of the Storm of the Century. The news is full of stories about record snows, record cold, record ice. The storm is massive. The satellite shows cloud cover from Texas to Maine. It reminds me a little of hurricane coverage. In Chicago the storm had hurricane force winds, but this isn't what caught my attention. The graphics on the weather map show a curving line between the cold, northern and western edge of the storm and the warmer, southern, eastern edge. A hurricane has a windward and a rainy side. Whichever side you are on as the hurricane passes by affects whether you should prepare for high winds or flooding. In the case of this storm the line was the delineation between extreme cold and heavy snow, or warmer temperatures and lots of rain.

We are in the southern, eastern side of this storm. In Dallas they had temperatures recording -2. Oklahoma had ice so thick people were ice skating on neighborhood streets. Chicago Airport can't move. People north of us had snow. In Pittsburgh, yesterday it rained all day. This morning the sun came out. It was 49 degrees!

As I looked outside the window dark green grass was visible in large patches. The sun lit up a glorious blue sky. It was so easy to think spring was right around the corner. I finished getting ready for an appointment. As I pulled my coat on, I looked out the window again. The horizon was dark...very dark. The sun was blazing through borrowed time.

I pulled out of the driveway and viewed a gray sky through the windshield. Banks of clouds scudded across the sky. The wind had arrived. Thirty minutes later as my hairdresser cut my hair we watched the snow blowing horizontally outside the window. The rest of the day the wind rattled the siding and taunted the birds as they held on to perches on bushes and feeders. By tonight the temperatures will once again be buried in the 20's.

 



It's Groundhog day. For 15 minutes we had sun! I saw it! Punxsatwny Phil says that means Spring is right around the corner. I hope he's right. I'm ready for more than 15 minutes of sun. But I've learned that weather is a fickle friend.

Some Days the View is Just Plain Cloudy

I'm not sure today is a good day to post my thoughts. However, the name of this blog is View From the Empty Nest and some days the view may not be so sunny. As I look outside the snow is falling. Again. It's been snowing most of the day. It snowed yesterday. In fact it has snowed 21 out of 26 days this month. Our first real snowfall was the week before Christmas and it was a beautiful snow, perfect for kids to play in. We went to Florida for Christmas and came back on New Year's Eve. It snowed December 31st and every day for the next 2 weeks. We had a break and then February hit. It doesn't help that February is the busiest traveling time for Larry. That leaves a lot of days where I am home alone.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had found something I had written last winter on a day when I was in a very negative mood. After I found it I knew it would be important to find ways to see the sunny side on a gray day. If I'm not mistaken, last year January was a long month. But this winter February has been a very long month at the end of a very long winter.

My husband says he is an optimistic person, but I think he is an optimistic person with a good dose of realism. My youngest daughter is a pessismist with a good dose of realism. By that I mean that they are both pretty close to center in how they view the world, but one tends to see the bright side more frequently and the other tends to find the flaws. My oldest daughter is closer to her father. As for me, I am a very optimistic person. I always see the glass 3/4 full, even if it's 3/4 full of hot air. (Come to think of it, I'd LOVE to see some hot air!)

Today, when I looked at the glass it was empty, and I'm not putting it outside to see what it catches! I'm ready for a good laugh, but I will settle for a good massage. That comes on Wednesday. However, the more I look at the glass, I think I know what would fit well in it. I'm going to fill it 3/4 full of "Florida Sunshine" and 1/4 full of Russian Vodka. (Or maybe I'll reverse that. Like I said. I'm ready to laugh!)