# Mother Nature is a Mother ^%\*&\*%\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 20, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071 "2008-03-20T14:51:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/1 "2008-03-20T14:51:58Z")
Today is the first day of Spring. Flowers should start blooming, birds should return from their southern migrations, woodland creatures should frolic and play as life returns to the Northern Hemisphere. Instead, the Chicago area is expecting a Winter Storm Watch tonight with snowfall totals between 2 and 5 inches. So, in light of this latest middle finger from Mother Nature, I would like to present [this article](http://www.macleans.ca/columnists/article.jsp?content=20080312_96248_96248&id=2). The author might be Canadian (I won’t hold that against him 😉 ) but I definitely appreciate his sentiment. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/2 "2008-03-20T15:26:16Z")
Last night I vowed not to clean up the parking for Easter. The people can park in the snow and shovel their asses out if they get stuck. I’m not doing anything with the snow this round. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/3 "2008-03-20T16:18:44Z")
I have come to the conclusion that no matter where I live, the seasonal dates always given as the beginning/end of seasons are bullshit. This is because way farther south, March is not the beginning of spring, it’s well into it, if you can even really tell a major difference between anything besides the hot and cooler seasons. Now that I’m in a place with four genuine seasons, there’s still a lot of snow on the ground and we could easily get more. I think spring arrives here, for real, sometime from the middle of April on, though that varies by year. Summer…I dunno. June? It’s not spring here. It’s the slow death of winter. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/4 "2008-03-20T16:40:46Z")
Tell me about it! I am so sick of winter. Add that to the lovely flu that I have right now, and it’s been one heck of a lot of FUN around here. Not. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/5 "2008-03-20T17:10:37Z")
My favorite line in the whole column: “Deuce Bigalow III: Gigolo Harder”. The guy cracks me up! Good writer. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/6 "2008-03-20T17:14:02Z")
[QUOTE=Slypork] Instead, the Chicago area is expecting a Winter Storm Watch tonight with snowfall totals between 2 and 5 inches. [/QUOTE] SE Wisconsin (Milwaukee) is looking at 5-9 inches from tonight to tomarrow night. I’m glad I haven’t summerized my snowblower yet. Oh, and it’s supposed to be the wet heavy stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/7 "2008-03-20T18:48:09Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] I’m glad I haven’t summerized my snowblower yet. [/QUOTE] Shit, I did. Oh well, if the snow sticks to the ground for more than a day I might have to use it. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/8 "2008-03-20T20:42:51Z")
And, you know, right NOW now it’s a lovely early-Spring afternoon! The sun is out, the sky is blue, there are hardly any clouds of any kind… …but lurking out there, over the Rockies, is some kind of evil cold airmass that is going to spoil everything! _whimper_ I want Spring already! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/9 "2008-03-20T20:47:53Z")
I’d prefer snow over the rain we’ve gotten the past 2 days. Loads of flooded basements, including my daughter’s school, which has been closed the last 2 days. Since we’ve used up all of our snow days, they now have to make those days up in the summer. Argh. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/10 "2008-03-20T20:57:44Z")
Looks like it’s going to miss us. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/11 "2008-03-20T21:04:35Z")
Here in Denver, Colorado it was mid 60’s today. The sun is so bright, had to run the A/C in my car. Aahhh Denver weather, America’s best kept secret. (don’t tell anyone, ok?) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/12 "2008-03-20T21:14:29Z")
Yes, it’s been a rough week. I had to wear long pants on Monday, because it was only in the low 70’s. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/13 "2008-03-20T21:33:49Z")
I always knew I should have gone to grad school in Hawaii. Chicago has terrible weather. Long winters, hot as hell summers, springs and falls that whiz by so fast you miss them if you blink. If it weren’t such an awesome city no one would want to live here. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/14 "2008-03-20T23:34:21Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff] Yes, it’s been a rough week. I had to wear long pants on Monday, because it was only in the low 70’s. 😃 [/QUOTE] That’s alright I’ve been in shorts and barefoot walking outside, because we hit 50F a few times. Anything above 45F is shorts and barefoot weather. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/15 "2008-03-21T00:37:17Z")
If it makes you feel any better, Las Vegas is absolutely perfect right now. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/16 "2008-03-21T05:47:58Z")
I used to think that was a ridiculous idea, **Harmonious Dischord** , but after this winter I can kinda see why people start wearing shorts in those temps. Suddenly 40F feels…sorta warmish. The sort of weather where I don’t bother zipping up my jacket unless I’m going to be outside for awhile. Spring’s trying to come here. It’s just not quite here yet. Today, of course, was quite promising, after I bitched in this thread. I don’t think I’ve seen 45F (except for a trip farther south to lower elevations) since about the beginning of last November! This winter thing is interesting. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/17 "2008-03-21T06:30:50Z")
With all the sub-freezing temperatures and snows the past three months, including the surprise foot of snow we got almost two weeks ago, my car doors were never frozen shut. We have three days of rain, followed by a surprise cold snap last night, I get out of work in the morning to find- car doors frozen. Took me 15 minutes & a co-workers help to work the key & get them unlocked. Lousy first frickin’ day of Spirng! Oh yeah, somewhat cold & beautiful all day. ---
**Author:** ![SomeUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@SomeUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeUserName)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/18 "2008-03-21T09:21:13Z")
It is crappy here in Ohio as PunditLisa said. We get snow then rain then snow then rain then a mix of snow and rain and I just heard we are getting snow again. I wish she would make up her mind. This time of year is depressing. The skies are grey, the ground is a mix of nasty water soaked grass and piles of dirty snow. The only sign of spring I saw yesterday was two Canadian geese that wondered into our smoking section at work to steal some birdfood from the bird feeder we have. They left us some nice goose poop as a present. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/19 "2008-03-21T10:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=FriarTed] With all the sub-freezing temperatures and snows the past three months, including the surprise foot of snow we got almost two weeks ago, my car doors were never frozen shut. We have three days of rain, followed by a surprise cold snap last night, I get out of work in the morning to find- car doors frozen. Took me 15 minutes & a co-workers help to work the key & get them unlocked. Lousy first frickin’ day of Spirng! Oh yeah, somewhat cold & beautiful all day. [/QUOTE] Heat up the key with a cigarette lighter. It should help get it in faster. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071/20 "2008-03-21T10:39:26Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] Heat up the key with a cigarette lighter. It should help get it in faster. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I could have gone back into the store where I work & bought one or maybe some de-icer. But if I had done that, that would mean the locks had won! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-nature-is-a-mother/442071.md?page=2)