What happened to winter

It’s March already, what happened to winter?  Sounds like this warmer weather is all over North America this winter.  Little snow and warm weather.  I can’t really remember any winter like this.  We got warm weather with no chinook winds or arch.  Just plain warm, calm and warm.  Very odd.  I understand all the meteorologists have their reasoning for it and apparently in other parts of the world, they got a colder winter and more snow than usual.  I’m not a big one on global warming.  Overall it seems to be getting warmer right now but in the longer world history, temperatures have gone up and down on their own.  Last winter was more normal but years before have been a little light on snow.  This year though is definitely different and I can’t help but be a little irked by it in that it was so different.

Some of the agriculture groups here are already predicting doom and gloom.  From increased insects and pests to the obvious lack of moisture for crops to take off in the spring.  Maybe it’s just the normal push to sell crop and hay insurance.  I don’t like to predict much of anything.  I believe almost all the predictions for this winter were for very cold temperatures and lots of snow which was obviously completely wrong.  We could still get a blast of winter this spring but I don’t think it’s going to change the overall outlook of this winter.  Besides, you’ve gotta take ranching day by day and right now it’s pretty nice for getting into calving season.

Can’t help but think of Corb Lund’s song “The Truth Comes Out”

Yes, Corb’s in the CD player quite a bit in my rigs.  But he’s right with this song.  Things are changing.  We can’t deny it.  You go up north you’ll see the permafrost melting.  Corb talks about the cougars.  We’re heard more and more stories of people seeing them in the river valley pastures.  I did that blog on the wolves.  We used to only see wolves out on the land next to the green zone.  Now they’ve moved into more settled areas and we see tracks through pastures and hay fields miles from the green zone.  And it goes on and on.  Maybe it’s the oil, gas and forestry pushing into their wilderness but maybe it also has something to do with the weather.  Makes you wonder where we’re heading?  Guess best bet is still just to take it day by day.  Oh look, little snow, good for calving.