Nothing quite warms the heart of a gardener like the arrival of seeds, tubers, rhizomes, grape vines, raspberry bushes, for spring and summer planting in local stores. Never mind that people are breaking their legs trying to get there. The musky, earth scent that we gardeners love is there, too. We love it because we know that it is alive and growing and we are in on the secret. It makes us feel more alive ourselves.
Outside however is a different story. Schools have been closed for the past two days. Even President Obama is surprised that schools close here over a little bit of ice and snow. He said today he would like to make a comment about the schools being closed due to what? "A little ice and snow?" Of course, the press laughed.
The problem is that our weather hangs around 28 to 33F. Our forecast usually goes like this, "Tomorrow evening expect snow, freezing rain and rain. How can anyone go wrong forecasting a variety of conditions? It's called job security, I guess. Ironically we usually get all three, too, not necessarily in that order. It melts and freezes and then snows on top and then ice rains for a glaze of wet, slippery frosting on the roads.
The one county that didn't close schools had 6 or 8 school bus accidents. No children hurt, but the buses slid into ditches and cars slid into the buses.
Alaska, Montana, and, oh say, Chicago, get snow and more snow which is much easier to drive on than ice. The emergency rooms are full of weather related injuries....broken wrists and ankles from slipping and falling. We are glad for electricity here when so many are without it now.
If my wrist is injured it will probably be from planting seeds indoors. Can you get carpal tunnel syndrome from planting too many seeds?
Sir Salty, our westie dog, runs and runs and his pawprints are four prints together in the snow and then another four feet away are 4 clumps of pawprints again. He gallops just like a horse. For being so short he barely hits the ground when running.
