Button up! It looks like we have six more weeks of winter to endure. The Groundhog’s Day tradition is one of the most interesting and ridiculous ceremonies in American history. I’ve always felt that the conditions leading to the predictions defied logic. In my mind if the groundhog sees his shadow that would mean that there is plenty of sunlight outside — a condition more typical of spring-like weather. Instead it means we’re getting six more weeks of winter. And that six week length of time ain’t exactly something you can bank on either. It certainly isn’t adequate for North Dakota. I mean, look at last year — we had a blizzard a whole eight weeks after Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction. But then, how accurate can a weatherman who forecasts the weather once a year actually be?
Category: winter
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Rodent Weatherman
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On the Bright Side
Hey, compared to last year we’ve been pretty fortunate. We may have had sub-zero temps lately but at least we don’t have mountains of snow… yet. Winter hit us on the first of December and now it feels like late January. Maybe this means that the entire winter will be accelerated. With any luck we’ll be able to mow our lawns in early March.
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Cold Enough For Ya?
Okay, so it’s winter. Nothing like being officially reminded with highs still cold enough to freeze your shadow to the sidewalk. Let’s hope this isn’t punishment for all the complaints about last year’s record snowfall. At least shoveling the stuff made you warm.
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Making Friends
We can learn a lot from kids. I marvel at their ability to make friends so easily. It’s not uncommon for either of our boys to start playing with other kids for hours and not even know their names. For whatever reason this carefree and nondiscriminatory attitude towards relationships becomes more conditional as we age. Judgment of character is important to protect ourselves from being hurt but accepting others for who they are is something I want our kids to practice. I know there will be trials in their lives when they choose their peers, but we try to encourage them to be leaders and good examples to others. Will they fail? Certainly (we all do), but I hope that they can be the friend they’d want for themselves. Friends are a blessing I often take for granted and I am certainly grateful to have them in my life.
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Survivor
I think it’s safe to say that winter is upon us. This year was really extraordinary with regard to weather and it was really nice to have the time to prepare for the snow this year. Most of the time, winter comes like an unexpected guest and a lot of the fall work is buried until spring. Even if it had come in October, we North Dakotans would still endure it (though there were certainly a lot threatening to move last winter). Let’s face it, for living in this part of the country we’re all pretty resilient and that makes us who we are… crazy.