Who can tell me what the weather will be tomorrow? I woke up this morning January 31, 2013 and I looked out the window. It was raining, the wind was blowing about 30 mph, and the temperature was 50 degrees and the grass in my back yard was as green as it could be. If I were living, before the age of calendars, I would have had a very difficult time telling what time of year it was. It very easily could have been a day in the spring, it could have very easily been a day in the summer or it could have very easily been a day in the fall. I would not think of it being a day in the winter in Maine because in the winter, we are supposed to have snow, but from my line of sight, there was no snow to be seen. So what's going on? I would say nothing unusual. This is just another typical or atypical January 31st, way up in the right hand corner of the United States of America, in a small rural state called Maine.
Have you ever heard the saying, "If you don't like the weather in Maine, just wait a minute." This has been so true in the last five or six weeks, I think we have seen about every weather condition possible with the exception of an 80 degree beach day, but wouldn't that be nice right about now?
I feel really badly for the industries that depend on snow for their livelihoods. It is much more far reaching than we realize. The ones that always come to mind are downhill skiing and snowmobiling. Others include those who make a living in the winter performing snow removal services and those who supply materials and equipment to these folks. Our tourism - lodging, meals, etc -are directly affected by the lack of people going to and from their skiing or snowmobiling destinations.This is just the tip of an iceberg of those affected financially due to the lack of snow.
On the other side, lack of snow is a relief for many with smaller plowing bills and snow removal costs associated with roofs and walkways.
How about all those folks who live on gravel roads and there are many in the state of Maine. For me personally, it has been the worst year that I can remember. In a perfect world, these roads, parking lots, and driveways, would freeze up in early winter and thaw in the spring, thus our two week "mud season" as it is called in Maine. This year in central Maine, we have already experienced two short mud seasons (due to freezing and thawing conditions) and it isn't even February, go figure.
What will the rest of the winter bring, which officially ends on March 19th? None of us know unless you've looked at the
Farmers Almanac (LOL) and I have not. As Mainers, we will deal with whatever hand we are dealt and make the most of it.
If you'd like a break from this crazy weather, and are not too far away, we suggest you venture out on a Wednesday evening and join us at the Dine-ah for Wednesday night Trivia with host Jon James. It has been a huge success with between 40 and 60 people showing up each week to test their knowledge. Jon comes up with the questions and I have no idea where he gets them from! We play two 15 question rounds and the winning teams usually answers between 17 and 22 questions correctly and are awarded various prizes. There is no charge and all are welcome. When Jon is asking his questions, and providing entertainment, not a one of us is wondering what's going on with the weather outside. It's a great break, come and see for yourself. Thank you Jon, you are a great entertainer!
