March is a fickle month for weather. The saying that March comes “in like a lion, out like a lamb” is not necessarily true according to Farmer’s Almanac. The Old Farmer’s Almanac mentions an astrological spin by saying that Leo is rising in the east early in the month while Aries is setting in the west later in the month. February went out with a cold snap and March may begin with a measurable snow event for the Twin Cities. Maybe this storm will spare Boston? They are getting the large snowfalls this winter that we received last winter.
Since last Thursday, there has been several forecast revisions. Each revision lowered the amount of snowfall, but the last two revisions increased the amount to 1″ – 3″ for the metro with some out-state areas getting closer to 6″. On the chance that the forecast could woefully underestimate the total snowfall, which is what my aching left knee is telling me, I picked up a few grocery items tonight. Unfortunately, Lund’s no longer carries pasties, so another pot of chili is in order. I am happy I do not need to leave the house tomorrow. My still-working friends have telecommuting as an option, and they will no doubt take advantage of the technology. Most of them live outside the clutches of Comcast, so they have reliable broadband.
Anticipated sustained winds in excess of 25 mph and wind gusts to nearly 45 mph promise a miserable commute tomorrow. Even a nuisance snowfall causes traffic snarls mostly because drivers are rushed, over caffeinated, rude and distracted. At times, I wonder if driver’s licenses are consolation prizes for buying a losing scratch-off lottery ticket. A verse from “Synchronicity II” by The Police is apt for the commuters stuck in traffic:
Only the rush hour hell to face
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Contestants in a suicidal race
My hope is that they make it home safely.
March is coming in like a lion. The long-range forecasts think March may go out like a lion, too, with a disappointing number of snow icons on the calendar at AccuWeather for the last week of March. April has had some surprising snowstorms, including one in 1983 that collapsed the Metrodome roof for the third time. There are promising signs of spring, of course. The days are getting noticeably longer, even without screwing with the clocks on March 8 for Daylight Saving Time. There is more solar energy hitting the ground as evidenced by my solar lights staying on longer than a few moments. My forsythia cuttings started blooming in about two weeks. This tells me that (1) the forsythia bush survived the winter and (2) it is loaded with flower buds this year. Once the weather warms up to around 50°F for a couple of weeks, the blooming begins in earnest. The cold snaps are shorter in duration even if they are not less frigid. Many of the longer-range forecasts hint that perhaps some liquid precipitation will fall this next week.
Stay safe if you are on the roads tomorrow, even if the weather is nice. Getting home to loved ones is the best way to end a day. Those of you lucky enough to have a special someone should give that person an extra hug from those of us who do not.
Two weeks in a vase and these forsythia cuttings are blooming.