March's Middle Finger
March 1st was a beautiful sunny day with a high temperature in the middle 60's. March 2nd the same but in the low 70's. The saying goes that it either comes in as a lamb or a lion and goes out the opposite as it came it. Well March for us was an hours old fuzzy lamb, immaculately groomed, smelling like sweet hay and with ribbons adorning it. It has been a lion ever since.
Saturday we were getting ready to go listen to our regional orchestral performance which happened to be doing a side by side event with the local high school orchestra which my oldest is part. As we were getting ready, tornado sirens in town were going off and I was keeping close watch to the television and my cellphone to keep tabs on things. On a side note, our county made the "wise" decision to sound the tornado sirens whenever there is a severe storm of any kind in the area. So when it goes off, you don't know whether you are expecting heavy rain or a tornado. So now residents largely ignore them and just rely on television weather forecasters to keep us informed. According to the weather forecasters, the tornado was on the ground west of town about 20 miles heading in a shallow NE direction. So it was expected to perhaps graze the outskirts of my town on the west side, opposite of where I reside.
By the time we needed to leave to get our oldest to the concert in time to get ready, the tornado was north of us and heading away and what storm remained behind it was light and fading fast. We attended the performance and had a good time. On another side note, since we were early and had our choice of seats, we sat up front to one side and were largely away from the crowd so for the first time in two years, and listening to CDC guidance since our county is in the "green", I kept my mask in my pocket the entire time.
That was Saturday. Sunday was extremely windy blowing our trashcan down the hill and causing me to retrieve it and tuck it on the lee side of our house for now. The temperature fell all day as we attended a brunch with some friends. By evening it was starting to snow and there was a dusting of the stuff on the lawn when I went to bed. Sometime in the dark hours of early morning I woke up and knew from the starlight being reflected through our bedroom windows that the ground was completely snow covered. At dawn, with school on a two hour delay, I got up and cleared the driveway of 5 inches of wet soggy snow for my wife to make her way to work.
I'm not sure I can take much more of March if it is going to continue to act like this.
Well Ed, on Sunday it seemed my whole town was out and about. It was gorgeous, sunny and in the low 70s here in Pittsburgh. I wore a Tshirt and shorts to the store. And now as I sit here reading your blog, it's freezing outside and the snow is coming down hard and heavy. It's March alright! Anyway, I never get tired of seeing your cool greenhouse. Great pic!
ReplyDeleteWe are slated to get more snow tonight which if I recall, will be headed your way on Friday creating a mess out east.
DeleteEd, we have had the same - in both places. At The Ranch, my understanding was that they had virtually no rain during February (one of the rainy months there) with Spring-like weather and then had a foot of snow last week. Here in New Home, we went from the mid-80's to almost freezing in 12 hours or so.
ReplyDeleteI can hear my grandma saying it will bring us all sickness with the temperature extremes.
DeleteI does change often here too. It is bright and cherry at the moment, somewhat below freezing.
ReplyDeleteYou still have snow on the ground. We've been relatively snow free for the last month until just recently.
DeleteYep, K.C. is supposed to get another 3-6 inches of snow tonight. Mother Nature flipping the middle finger is right! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteWe were in the 3 to 5 range but this morning they backed off an inch so we are 2 to 4.
DeleteWhat a crazy March and it's not even half way over! Hope you start to see some signs of spring. It does sound like you've been having a good time and getting out though.
ReplyDeleteWe have been getting out some though I admit, it feels strange to me yet, especially not wearing a mask. But most of our getting out is still fairly isolating ourselves and not in the mosh pit at a concert.
DeleteI don't think of y'all having tornados that often! We're still having wild temperature swings, but hope the hard freeze predicted for this weekend will be winter's last hurrah for us. Some of our fruit trees are already blooming.
ReplyDeleteWe have our share though with global warming, I think I've read that we are getting fewer than normal. Getting one in early March though is extremely rare and that isn't counting the fact that it was an EF-4 which is rare for us too.
DeleteMarch will come and go before you know it. We are in the 80°s here during the day - and not too windy. Both unusual changes because February is normally quite cold, and March slightly cold with high winds (for flying kites). Something is going on, I think.
ReplyDeleteIt will go fast especially since I will be gone for over a week of it coming up soon.
DeleteA tornado in Iowa made national news and I wondered about you, Ed. March is a transition month, so I'm never surprised by what the weather brings. I keep my flip-flops handy, but also my heavy coat.
ReplyDeleteWe had a radar detected tornado abut two miles from my house but I haven’t heard of any damage nearby so it probably wasn’t on the ground. Earlier however, it did some significant damage about 20 miles away and sent someone to the hospital with injuries. It paled in comparison to the EF4 that made national news just west of our tornado.
DeleteGood luck, Ed. The weather sounds awful. We are dealing with some cold temps but no moisture... yet. They are forecasting some later this week and next. March and April are always frustrating weather wise because you get a taste of spring followed by a reminder that winter is still around.
ReplyDeleteUsually once we make it to the middle of March, we are home free. Looking at next week's forecast (while it is snowing outside right now) it does look like that may be the case. I'm going to live dangerously and not clear the driveway.
Delete"Ed's Cabana" seems to have made it through the winter unscathed. That sucker was well-built. Soon March will receive his marching orders. "April, come she will" as Simon and Garfunkel sang.
ReplyDeleteApril and with it “The Sound of Silence.”
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