Well, if the forecaster’s predictions hold-up, we should be looking out the window at our first significant snowfall of 2022 here locally.  One of the reasons I like living here in Maryland is the seasonality of the weather.  You get a little bit of everything.  The pleasant spring months, hot summers, glorious falls, and of course, cold winters.

Winter also means snow, and although we don’t get as much of it here in Maryland as we used to (for a variety of reasons), outside of politics and the pandemic, nothing polarizes a local discussion more than talk of snow.

There are fervent advocates on both sides of the aisle concerning the white stuff.  Some people love it.  They enjoy watching it fall.  They revel in the glistening landscape, take pictures of the blanketed trees, and measure the accumulations with child-like excitement.  They build a fire in their fireplace, curl up with a blanket on the couch, sip on a piping hot cup of coffee, and use their picture windows as big-screen TVs, staring for hours as the flakes descend from the gray skies.

Then there are those that hate it.  Like the “Heat Miser”, they curse the weatherman for even talking about it in a forecast, angrily shovel it off of their cars, driveways, and sidewalks, and speak of the days when they will retire down south, never again having to scrape ice from a windshield or wash salt residue from their vehicles.

I personally don’t mind the winter weather.  I have a job where I can work from home in a pinch, so the thought of an impassible roadway doesn’t fill me with dread.  Although I’m not a fan of shoveling snow, (as my middle-aged body quickly reminds me that I spend too much time on sedentary activities after an hour or two of manual labor), it’s amazing what three Advil and a nap will do as a recovery tonic.

Generally, it’s the behavior of other people at this time of year that annoys me.  The bad driving and panic buying at the grocery store are two of my pet peeves.  Apparently, many of you subsist off of only white bread and milk during these storms (much like your cure for COVID was copious stashes of toilet paper).  Most of you need to calm down – I’ve read of cooler heads on the Donner Party expedition.

Thankfully, I’m lucky enough to have a roof over my head, food in the pantry, and an extra sweater or two in the closet, so overall, I can’t really complain.  Plus no matter how hard it snows this week or next, I know that in just three short months it will all be gone and the crocuses and tulips will be blooming again, signaling the annual move into warmer weather and spring.

For now, I’ll just stare out of the window like everyone else.