Webbready

In a previous post, I tempted Mother Nature to summon winter in its full glory. Now, at the end of a January that has been both colder and icier than those of the preceding years, I have been made aware of my folly. I wished for it to be cold, and it dipped to negative temperatures for lows and single degrees for highs. When I pleaded for the temperatures to rise, they did so, but not to the above average 40-degree days to which I had become accustomed in 2008 and 2007. Instead, it warmed to an unhappy medium, a magical temperature in which it was warm enough to snow, sleet, and slicken, but cold enough to prevent the melting of the water crystals deposited on the ground. Even today, an inch became two inches, which became a miniature blizzard that was thicker than fog.

I now know better than to even mockingly test a climate that is beyond my understanding or control. The optimism of a catchprase such as “Yes We Can” may be infectious, but I have learned to remember that also, yes, we can freeze as well!

There is happiness to be found at this time of year, though. As a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I eagerly await the Super Bowl and the propspect of the organization’s acquisition of another league championship trophy. In spite of my excitement, I cannot boast about a victory that is not yet here. Even though Tampa, Florida is safe from the winter’s reach, I have learned my lesson. The winter wind does not suffer a braggart or a fool, serving only hoar and powder to those who do not heed the loss of heat.