Seasonal affect disorientation
North country landscape in...early November, late March? Nope. Late January.
I just don’t know what month it is. Early April? Mid-November? Very peculiar this un-winter. Many share my disorientation and my seasonal affect depression because it’s just not cold and snowy enough. Back in the olden days when snow was piled so high you had to pull out halfway into the crossroad at stop signs, or huddle against sub-zero temperatures for days and nights on end, who would have guessed we would deeply and viscerally miss those real winters? Heck, if nothing else, how are we going to scare the daylights out of those new arrivals to the North Country? “Oh, ya gotta be tough to survive winters around here–it can be +30 for weeks on end…with more than an inch of snow on the ground!”
Bill Knoble is dressed in fall/spring gear--and it's January.
Where are the mittens and neck warmers? The mukluks and woolen long johns?
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Up here in Canada’s capital we’ve shoveled more ice than snow…
…and this doesn’t augur well for water levels next summer and fall! Let’s hope for a wet spring.
I remember you saying once, on the air, Ellen, apropos of being embedded in the physical landscape of a region, that you could be put down in the north country, and guess, fairly accurately, what the date was. I feel the same way. I’ve thought of that comment a couple times this winter, as the compass has shifted a bit.
Not an average winter but not terribly unusual.
In Indian Lake, we had about 26 inches of snow in January, 9 below zero nights and averaged out at about 5 degrees above average.
Personally, being one who drives cars, not snowmobiles, I am happy with the slightly below average snow fall. Since I like the cold, I would have preferred temps at or below average – except for the cost of fuel oil.
My fearless prediction – expect the spring to be colder than average.
Very, very cold in Alaska with above average snow. Very, very cold in northern Canada, eastern Europe and Asia.
Funny you should mention the seasonal affective stuff. I was thinking the same thing the other day. For the first time in my entire adult life, I believe, I went through January without thinking, “I’d move out of this state right now, if it didn’t require getting off the couch, putting on all those clothes and going outside.”
Of course, when spring and summer come, I feel the exact opposite. I am never leaving this place because it’s so lovely!
I’ve gone back and forth between loving these warmer temps for how good they makes me feel, and thinking I’m gonna lose all my tough North Country mentality if this keeps up.
I feel so ice-solated!! Sometimes wishing for a good old fashioned hot flash!
Wllen, who cares about the weather when you have such a cute model!!!!