WINTER? OR SPRING?

The month of March is all a bit confusing here in northwest Iowa. Winter keeps dragging her feet because she doesn't want to leave. But Spring is stubborn and refuses to give up until Winter is finally gone for good, at least until its time comes again.

Today we can get a little of both as snow flakes are predicted for this morning, but by afternoon it will be warm enough for rain, which is also predicted. So far the snow has stayed just south of us so it is still dry. There are still a few spots of snow left from the last big storm we had, and they are what is left of the piles of removed snow from streets and driveways. I think those will be gone in a day or two and no one will be sad to see it go. I will be very happy to be able to turn the heat off and have windows open, and hope that it doesn't get too hot and humid for a long while so the AC can stay off too. But, we rarely get a summer without it.

Surprisingly, in an average March, we usually get the most snow of the winter, even though it is not the coldest month. And we often get some snow in April. My first baby was born during the early morning hours of April 12. It was raining when we went to the hospital at 11 pm, and by morning we had 7" of heavy, wet snow.

Around here, weather is always talked about, because our farmers depend on it for their crops. Spring has to be dry enough to get in the fields to prepare for planting, and then time to get it all planted before needed rains come to make it grow to maturity. Then, it needs to be dry enough to get in the fields to harvest it all. All too often spring is very wet, delaying planting. And sometimes in summer we get some heavy rain that will drown out the low spots in the fields. Or it is too dry, stunting the growth and cutting the yield way back. Some years the farmers are still picking corn when we get a lot of snow and they are unable to finish, and the corn stays in the field all winter. The deer population loves that!

Some of you might think the yield doesn't matter, but that is their livelihood. Selling that grain is what pays the bills for the year, and they at least need enough to buy new seed to plant the next season. Farming is the biggest gamble there is, but you can't keep a farmer from 'playing in the dirt' every year.

So Winter, get out of here and allow Spring to stay!