Not So Cold
Having lived most of my life in Western New York (WNY), land of blizzards and the dreaded Lake Effect Storm, I find winter to be a different animal here in the central (north-to-south) mid-west. The mid-Missouri winters I have experienced since 2012 have been more like a WNY spring trying to decide if, maybe – just maybe – winter shouldn’t last until the middle of April. That’s how it is here, from December to March.
Temperatures fluctuate from week to week and day to day. Six inches of snow is a lot. That doesn’t mean we won’t have the rare foot of snow over a weekend, but it sure won’t be around for two weeks, because the temperature will be back to the forties, or higher, in a couple of days. We had sub-zero temperatures last week, directly followed by two days in the sixties. 57ºF today, but then it’s back to a week in the thirties. Back in Buffalo, that’s almost T-shirt weather.
Do I wish it were still cold? No. Just give me some consistency. And I don’t mean bare trees with no other way to tell that winter is here. I may not miss the cold temps and storms of WNY, but I do miss those scenic winters, with weather I can count on.
ice on the river
gone before the week is out
robins in winter
This haibun is my response to Frank Tassone’s #Haikai Challenge #71: Still Cold.
Image: Missouri River, 31 January 2019
(click image for larger view in new tab)
rivrvlogr 
Reblogged this on Frank J. Tassone and commented:
#Haiku Happenings #9: Ken’s latest #haibun for my current #haikai challenge!
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Thanks, Frank.
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😇
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I like your longing for consistent weather. I live in a very inconsistent climate zone too. Consistency would be nice but at least we’ve never bored with the weather. You just don’t know what’s coming next. 🙂
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I think the seasons are becoming less seasonal everywhere. (K)
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I agree – the in between temps are just odd. Having been raised in Ontario where the weather is full on snow for most of the winter, it is what we become accustomed to. Your haiku really illustrates the disconnect.
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It is inconsistent here, too–but I think it normally is. One winter is full of snow, and the next we get lots of freezing rain. So far, we haven’t had a big snow here this year. But I do like robins. 😉
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I think this is the first year I’ve seen robins straight through winter.
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I’m pretty sure I saw them through last winter.
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Ah, consistency… I think that, concerning weather left the planet a few years ago.
Our day is going to get to the mid 50’s but by next week we are due for 30’s again with a mix of snow and rain.
And so the nose, knows no regularity!
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We try to figure out the weather on other planets, when we can’t even figure our own.
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Consistency in the weather is past tense. Mom nature has been quite moody as of late, We had temps in the 20s and by the end of the week, we were in the 40s and 50s. Tis crazy, methinks.
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Crazy, indeed!
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I liked this very much, for it told me a little more about you. I can appreciate the need for some kind of consistency in weather…here in Canada we are having VERY consistent weather…snow snow… and uh, more snow… and a record cold snap. All the same, while I may appreciate 57 degrees at the moment, I”m not sure I’d like a winter full of it…
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I’m not a winter person. It’s my least favorite of the seasons, but I do miss the stillness of a snowy day and the opportunity to take photos without having to consult weather reports for potential snow fall. That said, I STILL dislike winter. lol
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