Winter isn’t done with us yet

Minnesotans have a tendency to get a little complacent this time of year if the weather takes a moderate turn. After the (relatively) warm weather we had been experiencing in February last week sent us back to reality.

Forecasts were saying we could get a foot or more of snow on Wednesday and Thursday and Mother Nature did not disappoint. Maybe it was not the snowy Armageddon some had been predicting but it was still enough to remind us that winter is far from over.

The snow did, however, disrupt many activities.

Area schools decided to be proactive and announced they would be closed on Wednesday and Tuesday rather than waiting until the last minute to decide. From a parent’s perspective it is likely preferable to know in advance when your child will be home but for working parents of young children any closing of daycare can be a problem.

For students, of course, a day off from school has always been fun but now with e-learning days even snow days are in danger.

The timing of the snow on this particular Wednesday also caused problems for area churches as it was Ash Wednesday and many of the special services for this day were postponed, or in some cases, moved to this week.

Even the Dodge County Independent was not immune from problems with the weather.

The paper, which should be in mailboxes and on newsstands on Thursday, is actually put together on Tuesdays and printed early Wednesday morning. Those things all happened on time, but the actual printing of the paper takes place in Madelia.

The drivers from Madelia could not get out on the roads Wednesday or Thursday and as a result the DCI was not delivered to Kasson until Friday.

The weather has rebounded a bit this week and no major snowstorms or blizzards are on the horizon, at least not yet.

But March is here and all true Minnesotans know what that means — state tournaments, especially basketball. For some reason, probably because they are in March, basketball tournaments have often been accompanied by a snowstorm.

The bottom line in all this is we all survived another Minnesota snowstorm and we should always stop and take time to thank those who helped keep everyone safe.

Snowstorms would be a lot worse if it wasn’t for those people who do not take snow days and stay home when the weather gets bad, especially the snowplow drivers who are out in all kinds of weather keeping the roads clear even when the rest of us should not be driving. And of course the police, sheriff, State Patrol, firefighters, and emergency personnel who are always there when we need them.

As for the rest of us, let’s just keep hoping spring comes soon.