I was enjoying a well-deserved nap and felt a tug on my left shoulder; my wife said, “Joel, you promised to shovel the snow today!” I replied, “I’m on it!” Something about getting up from a nice nap, cocooned in my “Comfy Chair,” and heading out into the vast tundra of my driveway to shovel snow is truly not appealing. Suppose it’s windy when the snow blower shoots out the stream of glistening cold snow. In that case, it inevitably blows back onto your face, glasses, and hat, basically coating you like a powdered sugar donut.
I gradually woke up; the widescreen was playing a movie that must have started when I nodded off. No sense in watching it without the opening scenes to set the tone and plot of the movie.
I decided to get up and prep myself for my wild adventure, shoveling and blowing snow for the next 2 hours. I revved up the Keurig and sat down to sip down the ambrosia of one cup of coffee. For those who don’t like the waste of leftover pods, we use the traditional coffee pot with filters in the morning, which is the only coffee of the day. Still, with the wintery task ahead of me, I needed a cup to warm and wake me up.
I began the arduous process of getting dressed for the arctic conditions I would be living in. The recommendation is to dress in layers, which takes time and coordination of many clothing items. After 15 minutes of layering, I was ready to enter the hostile winter environment.
I opened the garage door, and to my surprise, there was no snow on the driveway, lawn, or street. No snow anywhere. I glanced at the calendar on the refrigerator; the month was January. This is Michigan, and we always have snow in January. We survived 2020, 2021, and 2022; in 2023, we have almost no snow in January.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted that I do not have to shovel snow, and I have not shoveled snow for weeks as my mind continued to clear up with the coffee in my system. Is it me, or does the world seem like it’s spinning backwards or upside down. Another issue that we have to accept in this crazy world.
I have not heard a cool descriptive word from the meteorologists to describe what is happening. They usually have some new terms for us to learn. What about “Desert No-Snow-Storm!” or “Winter Dry Gulch!”
“Artic No-Snow Phenomena!” It will be interesting this year, as we usually average about the same amount of precipitation each year. Watch out for February or for a very wet spring!
The following day, I was napping and felt a tugging on my shoulder? “Joel, you need to shovel the snow.” I looked out on the deck, and there were several inches of snow. Oh well, it is January!
“Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others. – © Joel M. Vernier 01/22/2023 Author of: “The Guinea Pig In The Freezer.” joelmvernier@aol.com
