Today we woke to snow. No school for one, late start for the other child. My volunteering for the day was scratched, of course.
I didn’t take any pictures today — I think there will be snow again this year. The way the weather has been, I rather expect more like this, more regularly than we used to get.
Let’s face it: the weather has been strange all over the world this year. Some places are generally warmer, others wetter, still others colder than normal. That list is our area — mostly colder and grayer than normal. Established plants have done fine… but newer ones will probably struggle unless we get to warmer, sunnier weather later this year.
And I will struggle. I have really done pretty well so far this winter, with the moods and all, but today there was something about the gray skies, the dimmer house (the skylights were covered with snow), and the cold air that drifted in every time a dog needed in or out. It took me most of the day to really wake up and get moving.
When I did, it wasn’t really that bad. Went outside with the kid who stayed home, did a bit of yard work, walked a dog, came back in and had a nice hot chocolate. Played some of the Wii video game — the Mario Galaxy one, of course.
And it was fine. The kid was happy, we had a good day. But I am in a thoughtful mood now. Keeping enough lights on to help me stay awake takes a lot of power. Playing the video game takes power.
How much of my daily activities are in fact contributing to the changing weather? To Global Warming specifically? What am I teaching my children, sitting inside, with the lights on? Would it be better for me to get rid of the tech toys and instead only use older-fashioned things for leisure activities?
What amount of personal sacrifice is reasonable, what is necessary? Are the necessary sacrifices reasonable?
Meantime, we are having a decent winter. So far, the storms have been small for us this year, but the mountains are building a nice snowpack, and if it doesn’t get warm too fast in the spring, we will have enough water this year.