Did the Weatherman Say SNOW?

For several years I have attended a week-long summer institute in July held in Radford, Virginia. Around a thousand gather there – families, singles – all ages from infants to some in their nineties. They come from all over the United States along with a few from foreign countries. Spending the week there has given me the opportunity to make friends a wide variety of people.

When some of them realize that I live not just in the Deep South, but in south Alabama, the question often arises: “How can you live there?” It didn’t take many times for me to figure out what was behind their question, and given the time it often leads to wonderful discussions. If time doesn’t permit or I think the person is not really open to discussion, having already made up his or her mind about our area, I answer “January.”

Most of the questioners are from those areas of the country where January is always cold, often with snow and ice. I mention that our cold season is from December through February with an average daily high of 63° F., and that by mid-March the daffodils are blooming. Sometimes I just can’t help myself!

Our weather was unusual for a few days in the past weeks, with colder than usual temperatures that led to closing schools or delaying opening. No doubt that amused our neighbors from cold climates. They didn’t realize that we rarely have weather like that, so often a sweatshirt will suffice. Few if any of the children have clothing appropriate for standing at the bus stops when the wind chill is in the teens or lower.

Snow is predicted for tomorrow, and again our weather-hardy friends will wonder why even a little of it shuts down everything here. Think about it though – most of us have never even seen a snow plough since none of our cities own even one, and the state doesn’t have any of that stuff that keeps the overpasses and roadways from freezing. Our best hope is that the sand they scatter about can make for a little less slipping and sliding, and that people who have rarely seen icy roads will stay off them.

There is the also matter of ice on the lines that causes them to snap, leaving us without power or phones. It could happen, so I guess I’d better end for now and make a grocery store run before all the bread, batteries, and candles are gone. Stay warm friends!