We needed precipitation.
I mean, we really needed precipitation.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a region that was so eager to welcome some rain that would break up a stretch of beautiful weather.
In the first 10 days of the month, I’ve likely fired up the barbecue six times. I went jogging five times, and on the days I wasn’t jogging, I was enjoying a nice, peaceful walk.
There were relaxing evenings on a patio with a cold beer or two, a good book and some excellent music.
I know a lot of people have been out riding their motorcycles or driving their classic vehicles around town. (I’ll refrain from bashing the hot dogs who rev their engines far too loud).
Families have been able to enjoy time in the parks.
These are activities that we’ve been able to enjoy regardless of the pandemic restrictions.
An afternoon or evening spent indoors, watching TV, felt like an evening wasted. After all, we had to do that for most of the past six months.
I can’t speak for everyone who was enjoying the beautiful weather, but I also knew that we needed the precipitation. An inch of rain now, and some more rain throughout the spring, and we’d be in good shape.
I was ready to perform a rain dance.
But a snow dance? No thanks.
But now we have snow. Lots of snow.
Two weeks ago, I thought we’d seen the last of the snow. It was gone. Spring was here. I consider it a good year when the last of the snow is gone by April Fool’s Day; it means we’re going to get a nice, long spring, and we’ll be able to capitalize on the longer, warmer days.
Once April 1 hits, we should be finished with snow shovels, snow plows, travel not recommended advisories, cleats and those other wonderful things associated with snow accumulations measured in inches.
It’s been so dry we’d already started to see fire bans implemented in some southeast towns, villages and rural municipalities. The Estevan Fire Rescue Service was called to some grass fires already. There was a big grass fire near Halbrite on Saturday.
If we have to write about them, these are the things we should be talking about in July, not in late March and early April.
I would expect, though, that the happiest people to see the rain and the snow would be our farmers. They were going to be seeding into dry ground this month if they didn’t get any precipitation. And they were going to have to wonder if, not when, they were going to get any substantial rain this spring.
We’re obviously going to need more precipitation this year. The rain and snow in mid-April aren’t going to be enough. But at least we shouldn’t have to worry about farmers planting into dry ground or fire bans for a few days, right?
I’m sure we’ll get our annual dose of rain during the Victoria Day long weekend, but that’s still more than a month away.
I do hope this snow is gone soon. Let it melt. Give us some calm days so that the water can soak into the ground.
I’m getting antsy to resume jogging already. Those snow drifts at the Chamney Family Running Track at the Estevan Comprehensive School will be here for a few more days. My exercises will be relegated to the indoors.
Those long evenings on the patio? Won’t be happening again for a while until the temperatures warm up. I’m sure I’ll get to fire up the barbecue at some point this weekend, but I’ll have to eat indoors.
Time to catch up on Netflix. How was the second season of Unsolved Mysteries?
Hopefully we’ll get more precipitation throughout the spring, and we can find the happy medium between having enough rain to satisfy the needs of our farmers (and others who need moisture) and the needs of those who enjoy and rely on outdoor recreation.
Hopefully, I won’t have to research how to do a rain dance again.
And hopefully the next blast of moisture that we get comes in the form of 25 millimetrs of rain, and not inches of snow.
