Is it spring yet?
You certainly wouldn’t know by the weather we are having. It’s almost 80 degrees one day and 30 the next.
No wonder everyone is sick.
And choosing what to wear is an absolute nightmare.
But before spring fully comes about, I would love to see a little snow.
Maybe it will happen today. This morning, the weather service issued a heavy snow warning for this evening, with accumulations totaling 3 to 5 inches.
I haven’t seen a significant snowfall since 2000, and I miss it. And just because it’s March doesn’t mean it still can’t happen.
On March 13, 1993, there was a huge snow back in Alabama, where we had more than 8 inches accumulate overnight.
I don’t think I will ever forget that year. We had planned a surprise birthday party for my brother’s best friend, Al. Only a few people were able to make the party, and most of those lived nearby.
My friend, Karen, who lived in town, got snowed in with us at my mom’s house, so we played Songburst all weekend.
After a couple of days of hearing me belt out the words to “Jessie’s Girl,” “Dead or Alive” and other ’80s hits, they were ready to throw the game at me. I can tell you the words, or at least I once could, to many of those ’70s and ’80s songs. Plus, I just love to sing.
Today the early stages of Alzheimer’s has set in, much to the delight of my family and friends, and I can’t remember as many of those lyrics as I once did.
That year my dad also built us a sled, so we could play in the snow. My folks live on a hill, and it was great sliding down the driveway over and over again. It’s hard to believe we didn’t break our necks, but it was so much fun.
Those were great times, and as I recall, for once we did not lose our power when the snow came. Being a country girl, a snow or ice storm almost always meant loss of power, sometimes for up to a week.
But losing electricity wasn’t as bad as it seemed. We had an old wood heater in the basement to keep us warm, and mother cooked on it. The food always tasted so good cooked on that wood-burning stove.
I also recall another early spring snow, which happened during the first couple of days of April in 1987.
I was a senior in high school, and I was working at Jack’s Restaurant in Reform as a cook. The snow came up suddenly, and I had to stay in town with friends because it was snowing so hard and mother didn’t want me driving on those country roads.
I always associate snow with sharing time with family and close friends. We always spent more time together and talked when we were stranded at home in a snowstorm.
We would play cards by candlelight or a Coleman lantern or build a snowman in the front yard. Those things seemed to bring us closer together.
I have no desire to lose electricity again, but I will always treasure that quality time with my family.
It’s something we should do more often, but unfortunately, few of us do. We are too focused on our fast-paced lives and other things.
So this weekend, if a little snow comes our way, spend some time with someone you love. It’s a magical time that only comes around on rare occasions, so make the most of it.
