Thursday, February 2, 2012

Groundhog Day


                             
(Click on the thumbnail for the bigger, better version)

Forgetting about Groundhog Day is typical for me. Having grown up south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Spring almost always seemed to come fairly early. Besides, it wasn't something you looked forward to with intense longing, almost desperate to escape long, dreary days of snow and ice. Our winters were fairly mild. Although we have four seasons up here, we still can't complain about long, bitter winters. We get off quite easy compared to those of you in the north.

So far this year, Old Man Winter has pretty much ignored us. We have had cold days and hard freezes at night —our lowest temperature of 9.6 degrees one night; yet, over all, winter has felt more like an unusually cold autumn. All that rain last year must have depleted our five-year supply, because we are sorely needing moisture here. Of course last year we had enough snow to last me a couple of years; but, this year we have so little it isn't worth mentioning. Since the old-timers in our valley tell us the colder winters are more typical up here, last year was a throwback it would seem.

I am not forgetting, however, that we still have February and March to go, and last year that is when we had the majority of our snow. I am not going to pack the snow boots away just yet. 

12 comments:

  1. It's been a mild winter throughout most of the country this year and, though I miss photography with the snow and snow-shoeing, I sort of like the mild temperatures and low maintenance of snow removal. Take the bad with the good, I guess.
    I don't know if this is a recent shot, but it sure is beautiful. Who needs snow?

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    1. I guess all the cold moved far north to Alaska. Since I was raised with mild winters and spent many years in Los Angeles, I became quite spoiled to winters that were easy to enjoy. I owned very few sweaters. Mittens and heavy scarves got scant use. Snow was strictly for greeting cards.

      Thank you for the comment, Ken. I am glad you like this one. It is an oldie, but (I hope) goodie and was taken in April, a few years ago. Hmmm. Maybe, I am thinking about spring, after all, and just wasn't conscious of it.

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  2. Very mild here in Colorado as well...until, apparently, the next couple days. The predictions are for 6-18" of snow in the metro area of Denver. Yikes! Guess it had to come some time...though I was hoping it would be next year.

    Beautiful, tranquil shot, Anita!

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    1. I heard about that storm, John. Stay warm and dry. It sounds as if it will be a nasty one. You sound like me. :-) I always prefer that winter wait until next year.

      Thank you for your comment and I am glad you like this one.

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  3. Gorgeous light in this beautiful landscape. We have been mild this month too (for us), but I am fearful the cold will hit when spring is due and carry on until May like it did last year.

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    1. Thank you, Roberta. It was definitely the light that called to me. What you describe is exactly what happened to us last year. We had snow in April and even May. It was a peculiar one. I am relishing this mild weather.

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  4. I am wondering also if everything is just delayed. Maybe it will start snowing and not end until June. :-)

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    1. Gee, Mark, that's a depressing thought. Snow in June! Yecch. I will admit that I am not planning any major outdoor projects for even as late as March. Still I am hoping to enjoy a genuine spring this year. Thanks for the visit.

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  5. Anita, I am with you regarding February and March. For us here on the coast, sometimes they are two of the worst.

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    1. Steve, let's hope that this year, we have a true Spring. I am ready for that. Moderate rainfall, plenty of sunshine and loads of flowers. Sounds quite inviting. Maybe you will be blogging about the unusually beautiful Spring of 2012.

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  6. We had a heavy dumping of snow last Friday and another 2 inches this morning. Along with that comes the cold which I can do without. I just love this image!!

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  7. Thanks, Monte, for the thumbs up. I love the look and feel of this area and enjoy the fact that I got lucky with this image in capturing something of its feel. I had been reading about your weather. Can't say I am jealous. I hope you are staying dry and warm. We had snow in the forecast for today, but they dropped all mention of it. We got a heck of a wind storm, instead.

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Anita