Old Man Winter

...can go screw himself, Mother Nature is a sneaky bitch, and I've formally put the hit out on that stupid, little groundhog.

I jumped out of bed at 6:40 yesterday morning when the wind grabbed our screen door and slammed it off the porch rail six or seven times.  I recognized the bang and ran to pull it shut.  It was a total downpour and I got soaked as I leaned out the door to grab it.  I wasn't thrilled about being awake and wet at that hour, but I couldn't help but smile as I caught of glimpse of our yard.

Grass.  Beautiful green grass.  Hours of rain had chipped away at the inches of snow left from the last storm.  All that remained were a few isolated patches here and there.  In my mind, we were suddenly on the verge of spring no matter the date.  I saw green, dammit, for the first time in months.

I crawled back in bed and actually managed to fall back to sleep for an hour before I heard Punky over the monitor.  Her dad brought her in our room to snuggle but it didn't last long.  The Cinnamon Toast Crunch was calling.  She wanted breakfast.

We had to make a quick stop at the door so I could show her how the snow disappeared over night.  I've been telling her that we can't go to the playground until all the snow melts, so I felt I owed it to her to share the good news.  Spring was on its way.  Soon, she could ride the swings! 

I got her breakfast and poured a cup of coffee.  I sat next to her at the counter while she ate and I continued to ramble on and on about melting snow, warmer weather, and the fun we'll have at the playground in a few weeks.  Punky's dad was in the bathroom but he overheard my monologue and headed out to stomp my ray of hope.  

"You know," he said smugly, "We're supposed to get between one and two feet of snow today."

"Yeah, right," I chuckled.  I fully thought he was joking.

"I'm serious," he added, "It's supposed to be the worst one yet."

"I'm not buying it.  You're not fooling me!"

"Fine, don't believe me," he said and reached for the TV remote.  "You might want to watch this though..."

He turned the Weather Channel on just in time for the local report.  I fought the urge to close my eyes, stick my fingers in my ears, and hum so I didn't have to see it or hear it.  But alas, he was absolutely right.  Damn.

By nine, the heavy rain had turned to sleet.  By ten, it changed to snow and was falling at a rate of an inch per hour.  I stood at the door and mourned the disappearance of my so beloved green.  By eleven, the world was completely white again.  And I wanted to punch something.

The snow continued all day...and all night...and finally stopped around seven this morning.  The damage?  Just shy of two feet with drifts twice the size.  Yet another fun-filled commute to work...

And to top it all off, I heard rumors that another storm is due to hit the end of the week.  Oh, goody.