THE RECORD

May 01, 1996

BACK TO THE EGG

Suzanne Trevis

I'm really tired of people whining about the weather.

"It's too wet," "We haven't had any sunshine for weeks." I know for a fact that we've had some sunshine. The baby and I have spent a few afternoons out napping and reading on the deck. And despite the apparent lack of spring, I've done most of the yard work that needed doing and got all the veggies and baskets planted.

I think some folks are spoiled living here. They do not know how good they have it.

I talked to my brother in Ontario last week. I call him once in a while to ask him, tongue in cheek, how the weather is. I think its hilarious. He is no longer amused. Last week they broke the record for the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground. One hundred and sixty some odd days. The old record had been set some time in the 1800's. I'm not sure what our record is, but something tells me we ain't even gonna come close.

Then, having seen them on the news, I asked how close the tornadoes of the week before had come to him. He brushed it off saying they were at least 20 miles away. "Not even close," he says, "Nothing to worry about." I said I'd pass.

A few months ago my five year old nephew had to sleep overnight at school when it snowed so much they closed the roads. My two are young enough that they thought this sounded like great fun, though the reason was a little harder to grasp. I mean, they're lucky if they get enough snow in a winter to make a decent snowman. In fact there has been more than one occasion when Mom and Dad have packed the kids into the truck and driven out into the Great Beyond to find snow with which to build snowmen and have snowball fights!

So what really is the problem? Sure it's a little wet, that's why it's called liquid sunshine. Sure it seems like it drags on for weeks and weeks and weeks, though we established this wasn't really true. But it's not cold. You don't have to shovel it. It makes everything grow real good. It doesn't bury everything in your yard that you forgot to put away last fall for so long that you forgot what was out there. It doesn't rip the roof off your house. (although I have to admit it does leak through the roof, into the house!) It doesn't freeze your car doors shut on the same morning that all the kids decided to get up late, argued over what cereal to eat for breakfast, then pointed out to you that today was the pick up for recyclables and the truck just passed your house.

So get some perspective. And for all of Andy's buddies who may read this at work, and for those other unfortunate souls who are not blessed with the wonderful season (s?) we enjoy here on the West Coast of BC . . . . . . Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!