Webthoughts

Although the first day of spring came and went yesterday, you wouldn't know it by looking around here. After having a very dry winter with next to no snow, we more than made up for it yesterday.

The Omaha area received about nine inches of snow while areas west of here (Grand Island/Hastings) received 20 inches! Interstate 80 was closed from Lincoln to North Platte. It's not often that happens.

Of course, now a gradual warmup (albeit with a possibility of one last gasp of snow showers on Friday) for the rest of the week and into April. Although we've had a very mild winter, I'm ready for Spring. I'm ready for outdoor time!

I despise this time of year.

I really hate late February/early March because the weather just can't make up its mind. Is it going to snow, or is Spring going to finally arrive?

Late in the Fall and early in the Winter, I always look forward to the first real snowfall of the year. It's an exciting event to me. When the snow is falling, I'll stand at the window or in the front doorway and simply watch the snow falling for long periods of time. It's a beautiful thing to watch.

But as the Winter starts to drag on, the nearly perpetually gray skies, continuous cold temperatures and five o'clock sunsets start to take their toll. I begin to feel gloomy myself (well, more-so than normal, I suppose). I simply want Winter to be over and for Spring to take hold. But instead, I get a transition period that is just that much more frustrating—hints of Spring and resurgences of Winter.

Last week, in Omaha, we had several days in which the high temperature reached the 50s. One could go outside without a coat on, feel the sun on one's face and know that Spring was on the way. This week, we've already had one snow storm and another is on the way tonight.

I'm tired of dirty snow piled up along and gravel and salt piled up on the roadways. I'm tired of gloomy days. I'm tired of looking at brown grass (when it shows through the melting snow) and leafless trees. I'm tired of not being able to get out and work in the yard.

I just want, as I do every year at this time, for Mother Nature to make up her mind. Let's get through this yearly transition and move on. Late March and early April just can not get here fast enough.

Following up on my post yesterday, it appears that Mother Nature took exception to my comments. I'm writing this while looking at at least a foot of snow on the ground and 30-40 mph sustained winds. Yes, Omaha's in the midst of a blizzard.

My wife and I were awakened around 5:30 this morning by a couple claps of thunder and some lightening. During a snowstorm. That's called Thundersnow. It's an interesting phenomenon. I don't pretend to understand what causes it, but it's very disconcerting to see it snowing while lightening is flashing across the sky and thunder is rumbling around you. It's especially disconcerting because it means that, if it hasn't already, it will soon be dumping snow on you. That foot of snow came very quickly.

As of 11:00 this morning, the street in front of my house has yet to be plowed. My wife took the truck to work this morning because there's no way the car is getting through this stuff. I got out around 8:00 this morning before the wind got too bad to shovel out the driveway. Not only is there a lot of snow, but it's very heavy snow as well. Luckily, my neighbor was nice enough to come by with his snow-blower and help me finish up the driveway (our snow-blower died earlier this season and has yet to have been replaced). Of course, they're talking another several inches of snow before this is all over. And the winds are supposed to continue through tomorrow at least.

I'm sure this is all happening because of my comments yesterday. Mother Nature can be a vengeful person.

This is what I dealt with today.

I didn't go into work today because weather and road conditions were so poor. My wife went into work this morning (she took the truck), but she left early.

Even though the driveway was cleared earlier this morning, with the window and continued snow, it doesn't look like it anymore (I'll deal with it in the morning).

Only 20 more days until Spring. Only 20 more days until Spring. Only 20 more...

Two signs of Spring finally being here:

• I mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday. I didn't mow it very short (I've always been told to mow the lawn higher the first few mowings of the year, to not stress the new grass), but my lawn is really starting to look...cared for again!
• I participated in my first softball practice today. The league that I'm part of starts up in a few weeks and the team got together just to have a chance to start throwing the ball around before that first game. It got a little chilly toward the end of practice (a front is apparently moving through tonight) as the wind came up, but it was still wonderful to get out and throw the body around.

Easter is next weekend and we'll be having family over at our house, so I'm looking forward to getting out this week and finishing up some spring lawn cleanup. My wife, of course, thinks I'm nuts.

I really love waking up in the morning to the sound of gentle thunder and rain.

We had quite a storm blow through the Omaha area this evening. There were recorded 75 MPH winds through the area at least two tornadoes and a lot of rain.

There were a couple of downed branches in my back yard—nothing too terrible, but good sized branches nonetheless. I also found an inch-and-a-half of rain in my rain gauge that fell in about 45 minutes.

At any rate, after the storm blew through, there was a pretty impressive sunset with lots of color in the sky. I managed to snap a few photos of the sky with all the colors.

The second photo is the better of the two photos. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my tripod, so I had to manually brace the camera, which explains the slight blurriness.

Right now, about an hour-and-a-half later, we still have some lightening outside, but it appears the worst is over.

It's snowing in Omaha. Not a lot—flurries really.

But it's snowing in Omaha.

*sigh*

UPDATE: And, of course, that "flurries really" turned into about a half-inch of snow with definite accumulation.