It's been an odd spring, to say the least, here in Alberta.

March, which is typically very much a winter month here, with snow storms and temps going down into the minus 20s C, was lovely - I can't remember one day that wasn't springlike, with temperatures above freezing, and not one flake of snow.

April was unsettled - spring weather, but also several snowfalls. One of them was the worst blizzard I've seen in at least fifteen years. Howling winds, high drifts of snow - I had to dig myself out of the house, couldn't get the door open. We got through that one, and had another almost as bad a week later.

May has been cool and rainy, but more or less normal. Except for this weekend. Yesterday it snowed all day, but the snow was light and more or less melted as soon as it hit the ground. Today, though, it's snowing hard, and the snow is sticking. It's five inches deep in my backyard, with no sign of stopping. It's The End of MAY!

This is a part of the world known for severe and unpredictable weather, and I accept that. Summer snowstorms aren't really all that rare, neither are thunderstorms, tornadoes, dust storms.... But this year there have been at least five heavy late spring snows. I'm getting fed up.

Oh dear - and there's me buying a fan just yesterday, as I couldn't stand the hot muggy evenings anymore that we've been experiencing for the last week or two as we are now in winter, or the rainy season.

I do feel for you agony. I lived in Southern Ontario for 40 years, and had my fill of snow. I remember a severe and unexpected snowstorm in early May that closed highways and people were snowed in wherever they happened to be. I was driving home from a friend's, and was figuring where the (country) road was by the hydro poles - when I could see them. A 15 minute trip which took an hour and a half, it was the scariest driving I've ever done. In retrospect I should have stayed where I was. I've also seen a few flakes of the white stuff in June, but that is really rare.

I think the Canadian government should outlaw heavy snow in May though, that is just too too cruel.

I feel that way, but on another subject. We were graffitied (sp?) eight days ago, and now it has happened again!

I should consider myself lucky. It hasn't been too hot on any day here in LA, and it is still cold at night, which is unheard of this close to summer. Every night, I say to myself, "Al Gore? Shut up!" lol

One should on a matter of principle,
tell Al Gore to shut up
on a regular basis.

Quote:

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I had to dig myself out of the house, couldn't get the door open



No way! That really happens?

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Absolutely. It doesn't happen often here, as the prevailing winds are from the west and our house door is on the east side, but it happens. On that day, I tried to open the door from the inside, and only got about half an inch. Went to the front door (south facing) and was able to force that one open - it's sheltered by bushes and the snow was only about six inches high. The dog and I waded around back, through some knee high drifts, to find the snow packed four feet high at the back door, and about three feet thick at the bottom of the drift. Since it hadn't just fallen, but had been blown in there by swirling winds, it was packed firm - if I hadn't been able to get to it from the other side, there was no way I could have moved it by shoving the door.

It's only June 1, and we are forecast 105°F twice this weekend.

I have had to dig myself out a few times in my life. The snowfall of last week has melted, but it is still overcast and more rain to come. Yep, the weather here for the last year has really sucked.

Edited to add: I live a couple hours south of Agony.

This spring has been really weird here too... we've been above 0 degrees during the day since the first week of March. The snow was gone around the same time and never came back except for two or three small flurries with no build up on the ground at all. April was warmer and less rainy than usual. And we had numerous days in May above 30 degrees with the humidity. Calling for a long hot, humid summer with little rain. Just what I don't like. A nice day to me is no hotter than 25 degrees. And I like a little rain.. though last summer we had rain way too often. Need a happy medium!

I figure it's only in Alberta where we can set a record high in late May of 31.4 C and then have snow and all my fruit trees have their blossoms frozen off a few days later lol.

The generations younger than me don't seem to have a problem moving elsewhere (and frequently). But in my age group (50+) we grew up being happy we HAD a job, kept with it if we could, raised families and formed friendships that we really didn't want to give up or move tooooo far away from.

Sometimes other things are more important than "the weather" (not that I wouldn't KILL to be able to grow plants that could survive above Zone 3 LOL). And I think you appreciate "the seasons" more in the place where I live. Once when I was in Puerto Vallerta, I commented on the weather. The person I spoke to said "yeah, it's always like this". Nice of course, but on reflecting later I thought "gee, they don't even appreciate it" and "that must get boring day after day". I know that might sound sort of silly to alot of you, but Spring is the MOST incredible time of the year for me here - it's like a miracle .... EVERY time.

I think it's pretty cool that I live in a country where I can go swimming or go for walk in the woods and not get eaten by an alligator or a shark, or bitten by something venomous or die from malaria/diptheria etc. We have adequate health care, no overcrowding, good standard of living, healthy drinking water and, aside from the odd tornado, no danger from anything like hurricanes or earthquakes (in fact we live in one of the most geologically safe places in the world). And judging by the size of my hips, we're certainly not starving to death here either lol.

I'm not saying there's nothing to complain about (heaven knows I do alot of it myself lol) but on the whole .. the "big picture"? Sometimes you gotta just stop and say "wow, how did I get so lucky?"

Jakeroo, maybe you ought to be in Dallas the next few days. Highs will be 100° or 101°, and the lows 79° or 80°. Summer is here.

I know why I live where I live.
We have had rain in the past few weeks, the country is green and there are lambs and calves everywhere.
The cropping has almost finished, so we have a patchwork of rich brown paddocks contrasted with the early green of canola, wheat, oats and barley.
The mornings are icy, but the winter sun is lovely.. shining in through my office window as I type.
The trees all look like they have been washed, and the winter wattle is coming into flower.
In my garden, the grevilleas and bottlebrush are beginning to bud, and there are a few honeyeaters (small birds) building nests in them.
Yesterday, I sat on my verandah and counted willy wagtails, robins, magpies, wrens and the previously mentioned honeyeaters - three different species.
Yep, happy to be here - wouldn't live anywhere else.
(ask me again in summer when it's 35+ C for a week !)

Well, we've had a few days of something that looks more or less like summer, so I've calmed down. The unusual weather this spring has caused me another problem though.

My house is quite old, and has a badly cracked foundation. Years ago, our basement used to flood in spring on a regular basis, so much so that we don't set anything directly on the floor. In the past, it wouldn't be unusual to get three or four inches of water down there, and we had various systems in place for moving it out.
Over the years, we made changes to the drainage on our property, and it's been at least six years since we had any water down there at all, and probably ten since it was seriously flooded. So, last spring when I was doing a lot of clearing out, I threw away all the little bits of piping, and specially adapted mop heads, and everything else we'd contrived over the years to deal with our water.
Well, you guessed it - due to the incredible amount of late spring snowfall (which, because it must slowly melt, is absorbed into the soil rather than just running off as surface water) I'm once again wading around in the basement. I even threw out my old rubber boots.

Serves me right for clearing out. So, all of you who are thinking "I really must get to that back closet some day and throw out the useless old junk in there", here's the justification you want. You'd do much better to have another cup of tea and play a few quizzes - never know when you'll need that old junk!

Now that's odd - the one nation that spends it's life discussing the weather is the English, and they are not represented here!
However --- as an ex-pat Englishman I have to say that it is pretty warm here. Take no notice of the avatar, that's just something it would be nice to import to go in the brandy.

Potamiou: the English put ice in their brandy?? Oh dear. Guess I'll have to throw out my snifter warmer (not talking about my balaclava - can't give THAT up lol). Now, on the other hand, ouzo with ice sounds lovely : )

Dave: I can only hope you have air-conditioning. I can live with cold. We have central heating (gas) in our house, along with two fireplaces (one wood, one gas) and a propane bbq and an outside firepit if we get realllly desperate for either cooking or general warmth. A/C isn't something most folks in Alberta have (unless you live in a hotel) so when it gets really hot here for many days in a row, it's rather unbearable. In that case, most people hang out in shopping malls to keep cool lol. I was in Palm Springs once (golfing). It was 116 F. It's no wonder no one there is ever outside for very long. Am sure it cuts down on daytime crime though lol

Agony: I know just what you mean. I get yelled at for being a "packrat" all the time, but you know? As soon as I'm persuaded to throw something out (I might have kept it for 20 years or so), THAT's when we'll need it LOL. Sorry to hear about the flooding - not many things worse for a house than that, sigh.

The dry streak of 2000 may be safe, but it will be quite unbearable. We are forecast 106°F today, and 105°F tomorrow. No day for this week will have a forecast high below 100°F...yuck!