Winter in New England

I have for my whole life lived in New England, as a child I skied almost every day of winter. I have played in the snow as a child and as an adult. I have been through at least 3 ice storms that I remember where we were without power or people in the area were without power for days even weeks.

I don't really mean to complain, I am, after all, healthy and able to shovel, I have oil for my furnace and a roof over my head, my car handles fairly well on the snow covered roads and I am a good winter driver.

But I ask, is it really necessary that we have a storm 2 or 3 times a week? I think we have proven time and time again that we are hearty and live in the North because we like 4 seasons, we like the snow, and the mud and the flowers when they bloom, the leaves in the fall and the summer sun.

I think we may all be nearing the edge of insanity... if not insanity, apathy... people have taken to not cleaning their cars off completely so that big chunks of snow come flying off them, people aren't wearing their boots anymore.. they just wear regular shoes. Jackets aren't buttoned up, gloves are often not worn probably because one or both of the mittens/gloves are lost in a snow bank somewhere.

The one phenomena that continues however is the mad rush to the grocery store the day before a storm. I really don't understand that one. But it happens every time.

I work with a woman who's partner is the foreman of one of the local town road crews. She never sees him, and they are all so tired... just when they think they'll get a day off another storm shows up.

I'm not really sure what Mother Nature is trying to prove... I'm pretty sure that we will continue to survive and shovel our way through the next 3 months... but really perhaps we could have a peace conference, or at least some sort of cease snow. I don't think we're going to give up.. we may be out shoveling in our swim suits in June, but we'll keep muscling through...

I suppose the only way we'll give up is if we finally reach the point when we can't put the snow any place, I know my 2 car wide driveway is now about 1 1/4 car wide and about 3 feet shorter than it used to be. I'm not throwing in the towel yet, just suggesting we explore some conflict resolution strategies... between us and mother nature.