Remember those beautiful, wonderful, tame winters we used to know and love?
It’s hard to forget. We had one last winter, with little snow, minimal ice and warm temperatures. The winter of 2014-15 was pretty nice, too, at least after the frigid temperatures of November were gone.
Yes, the two previous winters were frustrating for snowmobile enthusiasts. (Please forgive them for the excitement they showed as the snowfall accumulated the past 10 days). And the snow makes farmers happy as well.
At the same time, anyone will be happy to see temperatures above zero for several days in January.
We knew we were due for a nasty winter. You could forgive us for being optimistic, though, when we basked in the record-setting temperatures in November day after day.
Reality hit in late November with nearly a foot of wet snow. Then, just when we were nearly finished digging our way from that storm, we got walloped by a system that dwarfed its predecessor. Not only did we get more snow, but it was accompanied by high winds that resulted in a blizzard.
And once the snow was gone, we got a nice blast of cold temperatures that are supposed to linger for a while.
Not only has winter reintroduced itself to the southeast, it has done so while screaming “Remember Me?” in our face.
(Most of us would have preferred a more subtle blast of winter weather.
Winter can be a reminder of reasons to be thankful. For those of us with a roof over our heads, a heating system that works and lots of blankets in our homes, we can be thankful to be warm inside, no matter how frightful it is outside.
It’s also a reminder of the need to help out those who aren’t so fortunate.
Winter weather also means it’s time to slow down, drive smart and drive according to the conditions. You might think you’re immune from an accident because you drive a certain type of vehicle, but you’re not.
We should also be thankful for the city staff and the contractors who have been working tirelessly to remove the snow from our roads, sidewalks, pathways, parking lots and other areas where the snow has accumulated.
City staff can often be lightning rods for criticism, but many of them have been starting work at 3 a.m. on a regular basis since Nov. 29 in an effort to clear the snow.
They had cleared most of the snow from the streets when the Dec. 5 blizzard hit Estevan. Rather than mope (or wait for the storm to clear), they went to work at 3 a.m. on Dec. 6 to ensure many streets were still drivable.
They’re going to be in for more long days, so let’s make sure we do all we can to make their jobs easier.
