Winter: The Weather not the guitarist

THE JAZZ BUS: Remembering Winter
What a winter! Thinking back to this past October, I remembered watching a local television weather person quoting from Poor Richard’s Almanac with a prediction of a very cold, snowy, few months ahead. What we on Long Island would call winter weather. Whenever weather is predicted, especially a long range forecast, I am skeptical to say the least. A weatherman only needs to be right occasionally. A fifty -fifty shot each day. Hey, I can do that and when wrong he/ she returns the next day with no penalty, no foul. But looking back to October, I guess he was correct. Next year I’ll buy an early edition of the almanac, and make my plans to be out of town if weather like this is predicted again.
Three snow storms. Blizzard style snow falls, with whipping winds and plenty of white stuff. After the first I said “nice”, now hopefully we are done for the winter. But then the second one arrived. A huge dig out. Okay, enough, I had hoped. But, no, a third. “Are you kidding me?!” Most municipalities claimed their “snow” budgets were maxed out by the end of the second storm. Schools were closed and snow days used. Roads were difficult to drive on and parking non-existent. Snow plowers and local chiropractors must have loved it.
Following all that was the rainstorm of March 13, 2010 with the merry month of May type weather on March 19th. My body was confused. Snow, rain, warmth, what next? I should not have asked. More rain, sort of like penance. A record rainfall of over 12 inches in one month. It was not even time for those April showers and yet it was soggy. Please, no more, I begged. But then the high wind gusts and rain storms from mid to end of March. My roof is blown off, siding missing and water rising in the basement faster than two sump pumps could get it out. Mementoes destroyed. Huge Tupperware style boxes somehow toppled over and filled with the rising water. Carefully stored books, records, cds, soaked, and one of my prized drums filled with water like an aquarium. The heating unit and water heater’s pilot lights were drowned out. The water table would need to subside and both units need to dry out before a relighting could take place. This would take days. At least the house was somewhat warm.
I remember snow days as a kid, anticipating the early morning radio announcement that school would be closed. Waiting patiently while the announcer read from an exhausting alphabetical listing of schools. Then, the ultimate joy. Yes, school was closed. Outside we would go, as soon as practical, building snow men, shoveling the walks, and heading through the neighborhood to help dig people out. Snow was fun, rain, not so much. But this winter we had the most snow on Long Island since 1947/48. Rainfall had to be a record also. Not fun anymore. More work than fun. But now, it is June and easy to forget the unforgettable winter of 2009-2010.
jazzbus@gmail.com