Happy New Year, and thank you for not noticing that I was on hiatus for the last two weeks.  I appreciate your patience and discreet manner in which you let me slide for the last two Wednesdays of 2012.  Now, back to business, and all things landscaping.

As you’ve probably noticed, we’re suffering a stunning lack of snow.  In fact, I believe we have broken a record here in Chicagoland.  300+ days without a measurable snowfall.  70% of the country is blanketed with the stuff, and here we sit without as much as a dusting and temps threatening to reach into the 50’s.  What’s going on?  This is the second winter in a row where snow has decided to go north, south, east and west of us.  Unless my memories are completely skewed, we used to be guaranteed a certain amount of snow, and at least one blizzard per winter, but not anymore.  These are not the winters of my youth – not even close.  For heaven’s sakes, El Paso was hit with almost 8″ of snow last week, but Chicago?

Look, I love winter, and one of the reasons I love winter is the glorious, glorious snow, but there isn’t much to love when the season bares a striking resemblance to Spring.  It’s almost an ego thing for me.  Chicagoland has some tough weather – hot, humid summers and blistering cold, snow packed winters.  It’s what makes us Midwesterners, Midwesterners.  It’s what our mother’s promised would build character.  Now, I feel like I’m living in some sissified section of the country where temps never fluctuate more than 20 degrees south of 60.  I’m ever so disappointed.

Yes, I realize it’s only early January, and we’ve been known to have major snowfalls in April, but I was expecting so much more this winter.  We’ve been in drought status for quite some time, and sticking to my theory that weather is cyclical, I would have bet money that this winter would have resembled the winter’s of my youth.  All I can do is hope that my theory holds water (no pun intended), and Old Man Winter brings a big ole blanket of snow our way.

Chicago winter’s past

“Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood.”

– Andy Goldsworthy

Best wishes,

Kim Sweeney