The Winter of My Discontent

Faulkner · January 28, 2011, 4:58pm

I shoveled a path to the garage, so I could take a snap of my data plate for Matthew. Now, if Matthew were here, he could have snapped it himself; come to think of it, I could have gotten him to shovel…

Well, never mind about that. Here’s a before and after…
.
Dan

rogerh · January 28, 2011, 5:51pm

Thanks, Dan! I’m sure Bode appreciates the path, and I enjoy viewing the accumulation.
Don’t go throwing things at the plowtruck when he buries your driveway in passing.

Faulkner · January 28, 2011, 7:08pm

a little vid of the garage door opening on Faulkner’s hibernation…

…with a bit of commentary at the end for my Southern Bro.

Dan

Denver_59_Fin_Conver · January 28, 2011, 11:47pm

Love the soliloquoy at the end of the film. Short and to the point!

The popcorn was still popping and the movie was over already… When will we have “The Winter of my Discontent” part Deux-Revenge of Faulkner! Hopefuly a little longer in duration.

John Q.

Ron_Keij · February 2, 2011, 6:50pm

People are suffering everywhere in the US except for Florida of course:

rogerh · February 2, 2011, 9:33pm

not too bad here..a little brisk (27 at night, 45 days)

Ron_Keij · February 5, 2011, 1:54pm

The snow has reached Florida now But don’t worry about Dick, he has his own way of getting to the garage

big_m · February 5, 2011, 4:25pm

Up here in the northern part of California, we hit 70 degrees yesterday, with similar weather projected for the coming week. Can actually think about working on car projects without freezing! Mosquitoes were a bit thick as well.

—John

Matthew_Keij · February 5, 2011, 4:51pm

It’s wind and rain here! Hope the rain goes away for a few days.
But i am glad that i can work in the garage. Temperature is just fine there.

Next week the weather can do whatever they want over here, as long as i can get to my flight and we can take off

Ron_Keij · February 5, 2011, 6:27pm

If you have too much snow you might want to use my sign

Faulkner · February 22, 2011, 12:12pm

Thanks again, Dick.

Dick_Koch · February 22, 2011, 1:45pm

OH MY GAWD, It’s supposed to reach 83/85 degrees today, what with all the fog and these Hi temps I guess we will have to turn on the Air Conditioning in the house. Dan, might I make a suggetion for next winter, make two paths to your garage, I’m sure Faulkner would like to back out for a glimps at the sun. You can even borrow my snow plow.
Dick.

Steve_Storey · February 23, 2011, 1:11pm

Ice is leaving the Susquehanna river, but its -5F this am.

The back yard

Faulkner · February 23, 2011, 4:05pm

Philadelphia Inquirer:

Weather advisory: Try getting over it
Philadelphians need to chill out about winter.

By Nate House

From conversations at work, at the bar down the street, and with neighbors scraping the ice off their cars, I gather that Philadelphians are sick of the cold and snow. As I write, it’s 26 degrees outside, one of my cars won’t start, and my short-haired dog won’t get out of bed. Forty-four inches of snow have fallen this winter, and ice storms have wreaked havoc with traffic, pedestrians, and trees, one of which now leans against my house.

At first, sledding at the Walnut Lane Golf Club eased the burden. But that, too, has become a kind of winter chore. So I e-mailed my friend in Colorado to tell him about the ice age that has overtaken the Philadelphia region.

“Cold schmold!” was his response. “40 below this morning. Pipes froze.”

Then I saw pictures of Lakeshore Drive in Chicago, where cars were suspended in time like frozen mastodons. One recent storm closed bridges in New York City, canceled a fifth of the nation’s flights, and buried Oklahoma. Philadelphia started to look and feel like Key West.

As a city, we can handle homicides, losing sports teams, corrupt politicians, failing schools, and a reputation that doesn’t exactly put us in the same category as New York, Paris, and Rome. But the one thing Philadelphians can’t seem to handle is snow.

As soon as the first flake fell this season, I remem’ber sitting in traffic for more than an hour just trying to get from one side of the city to the other. It was as if that single flake had paralyzed the part of the brain that tells us to move forward.

We feel the need to protect our shoveled parking spots with lawn chairs, trash cans, stolen bright-orange highway cones, and 9mm handguns. The Philadelphia Parking Authority offers discounts in an effort to keep us off the roads during snow emergencies. In a nutshell, we are not winter people.

Even though Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this month, indicating an early spring, meteorologists disagree. More snow, ice, and mayhem are on the way, and with them, a local accumulation of impatience, frustration, and claustrophobia. Last year set records for snowfall in the region, and this year could come close.

So instead of bemoaning nor’easters, “thunder snow,” and ice storms, I say we’d better get used it. I’m not saying we have to don Elmer Fudd hats and talk like we’re from Bar Harbor. But a little resilience - a little acceptance of what is, after all, only winter - would help us get through this thing that happens every year.

Instead of cursing the “white stuff” and cold, we should be grateful that it lets us spend more time indoors with kids who have the day off from school. We should remind ourselves that, only six months ago, we were cursing the oppressive heat of summer.

This doesn’t have to be another winter of our discontent in Philadelphia. Winter here is a lot easier to handle than it is in many other parts of the country. So are summer, fall, and spring. We don’t have many mudslides, tornados, or hurricanes (take that, Dick Koch - Ed.).
This winter, let’s be thankful that most of the catastrophes facing this city can be fixed.

Dick_Koch · February 23, 2011, 7:18pm

COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN. Haven’t had a Hurricane in four years, snow never. heh, heh, heh…
Dick.

Faulkner · February 24, 2011, 3:29pm

Interesting statistic! If I were a betting man, I’d consider the odds…

Here, Dick - you may be needing this:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/

Dan

Dick_Koch · February 24, 2011, 10:25pm

Dan - Hurricanes are no fun. Downright scary, I think in my lifetime I’v been through 12 hurricanes. The first I can remember was where I was born, Bay St. Louis, Ms. in I think it was 1948. The worst was Betsy, it hit West Palm Beach then crossed Florida and went up the Mississsippi River and hit New Orleans. After it hit WPB Yvonne and I took off for New Orleans to visit Family. That one got us twice, Yvonne was in New Orleans when Camille hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We even got part of Katrina before the eye went directly over Bay St. Louis. Believe me, I would take your snow anytime over a hurricane.
Dick.