It’s Cold Outside

One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day. After spending months — or years — stuck in a time loop, Phil (Bill Murray) developed the same outlook on winter that I have right now, and he expressed it perfectly.

To quote from a well known song, “Baby, it’s cold outside.” According to the National Weather Service, the thermometer hit 1°F (-17°C) this morning. I’ve observed that the NWS people are not sticklers for accuracy, so I don’t know if the 1° report is valid. But the temperature was definitely in the single digits. When day broke, a gray overcast filtered out whatever warmth the weak December sun might have offered.

An outside water tap on my house froze. I could turn the handle but water would not flow. I worried I might have a frozen, burst pipe. That would be bad news. I looked at the water meter and saw the indicator wasn’t moving. I felt a little better but knew time would tell if I had a big problem.

Snow is in tonight’s forecast. Weather prognosticators always hedge their predictions, so the forecast calls for a 70% chance of snow. It also says to expect an accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. If there is a 70% chance of snow, it follows that there is a 30% chance of no snow. If there is a chance of no snow, shouldn’t the minimum be zero instead of one inch?

I’m hoping for zero. Cold and bleak days are bad enough without slogging through icy slush between house and car.

It’s not all bad, of course. Winter can have its own charm. Falling snow is beautiful, sledding is exciting for youngsters, and basking in the warmth of a crackling fire is mesmerizing. There are winter comfort foods to enjoy, like warm stews and casseroles, hot chocolate, and hot buttered rum.

Then one day there will come winter’s biggest gift: spring. Birds chirp and build nests, flowers bloom. The world turns green again. There are Saturday morning drives to the farmers’ market and walks along the greenway beside the river. But I can’t think about that now. Winter is only 2 weeks old. Spring is 78 days away.