Polar Vortex? Or Zeus vs Mother Nature?

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I have to admit that I’m bandying words about in my title that I don’t exactly understand.  I just read through most of the Wiki article on the polar vortex and I’m not much wiser than I was before.  What I understood is that polar vortexes are always present, but their activity varies from year to year, which causes variations in the weather, similar to what we’re experiencing.

However, you don’t need to be a weather expert to be acutely aware that spring is late this year.  I’ve been away in Europe for the last 18 days, enjoying their warmer-than-usual spring temperatures ( please don’t hate me!) so when I got back to this unrelenting winter it wasn’t so bad.  I could accept it almost cheerfully, knowing it couldn’t last much longer (knock wood).  For those who have been here all along, suffering through the whole thing, it’s different.  It grates on the soul to have warmer weather dangling like a carrot in front of your nose.  As my daughter said, “It’s always tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow! Yeah, right!” People are getting bitter, and no wonder. When I woke up this morning (very early, thanks to jet lag), I almost had a bitter moment as I gazed out on the falling snow.

It occurred to me that what’s happening is a struggle between forces in the world.  What we consider “normal”, which could be represented by Mother Nature; and the affect of the unusual polar vortex activity that we could call “Zeus”, Mr. Thunderbolt himself.  Mother Nature is patiently trying to warm us up, but Zeus keeps throwing his thunderbolts- cold ones- into the works.  So, the weatherman keeps predicting warmer temperatures, but is foiled by a last minute thunderbolt that pulls the rug from under our feet.  Today once again we are promised a high of 7C, but the morning started with this beautiful but depressing snowfall, (maybe caused by a  slightly warmer thunderbolt) that with any luck will turn to rain and wash away the snow that just fell and lots more that fell last week, and the week before, and the week before that.

Mother Nature, like the patient tortoise, will win the race. Spring will come, the shoots will come up.  I can feel their barely contained energy waiting to burst forth under the heavy snow.

Next day’s up-date: Yes, the snow eventually turned to rain and washed away an inch or so of the several feet of snow that is piled up on the lawns around here.  But, the temperature is still being kept down by a stubborn Zeus, and today it hovers just below zero.  Sigh….

Enjoy this rendition (arrangement by my hubby, Dave Martin) of “You Must Believe in Spring”, sung by Stéphanie Laliberté.  I hope it helps!

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