Dear God, Mother Earth, Father Christmas, Baby New Year, Idols, Charms and Spirits

[telegirl]

Yeah, like when I got my first training bra.

LOL....

I just want the mud to go away......If I have to ride all winter instead of ski, fine.....but the mud is killing me!

Anakiwa: We were out in Utah over the X-mas holiday and we started looking at property out west- And have talked about Canada, as well! I WANT WINTER, DARNIT! Hubby is going to try downhill at Killington today....but I'm not holding my breath. Especially considering it is supposed to get up toward the 60's by the end of the week and rain on Sat. I am just hoping against hope that some of the more northern mountains and areas can hold their snow. I'm surprised there is ANY X-country!

[SheFly]

LOL....
And have talked about Canada, as well! I WANT WINTER, DARNIT! Hubby is going to try downhill at Killington today....but I'm not holding my breath. Especially considering it is supposed to get up toward the 60's by the end of the week and rain on Sat. I am just hoping against hope that some of the more northern mountains and areas can hold their snow. I'm surprised there is ANY X-country!

Forget Canada - unless you move somewhere NORTH of the St. Lawrence. My family all lives near Ottawa, and they are having the same weather we are - NO SNOW!

DH and I skied at Sunday River over the holiday. The snow was surprisingly good for man-made, but there is NO natural base or snow at all.

Lisa - new snowshoes are a small investment to be sitting in a closet. Sadly, we purchased TWO BRAND NEW SNOWMOBILES this year, and there is no place to ride...

I'm convinced that we won't see much winter this year. In fact, I'm heading out on my bike tonight after work...

SheFly

[Haudlady]

DH grows a beard every winter. He shaved it off on Sunday, hoping it would spark the old "now that I'm unprepared for winter, it will come."

No such luck. It's supposed to be fifty degrees today...

[Surlygirl]

Okay, I'm in the minority here, (don't mind the lack of snow) but I'm plannning on riding my bike this Saturday. Its suppose to be 59 degrees. Who'd a thunk it. January in New England and no snow. We're heading to Whistler to find snow in Feb.

[telegirl]

Forget Canada - unless you move somewhere NORTH of the St. Lawrence. My family all lives near Ottawa, and they are having the same weather we are - NO SNOW!

Sadly, we purchased TWO BRAND NEW SNOWMOBILES this year, and there is no place to ride...

SheFly

I'll just stay here and whine (got cheese?). Any way we can start a Post- cyclocross season?? For those of us who are still in the 'tween time?

Most of my brother-in-laws' families bought new snowmobiles last year, were skunked on snow, and were counting on this year to get some use.....

Even the poles are losing their snow (earth, not ski)...... Maybe Father X-mas wasn't one I should have asked to help.....

[SheFly]

I'll just stay here and whine (got cheese?). Any way we can start a Post- cyclocross season?? For those of us who are still in the 'tween time?

Most of my brother-in-laws' families bought new snowmobiles last year, were skunked on snow, and were counting on this year to get some use.....

Even the poles are losing their snow (earth, not ski)...... Maybe Father X-mas wasn't one I should have asked to help.....

You bring the w[h]ine, and I'll bring the cheese ! I'm up for another 'cross season if this weather keeps up the way it is... I'll be out on mine tonight - should be over 50 here in MA today!

Last year was a bad snow year, too, but DH and I still managed about 2000 miles on our snowmobiles. We figured we were safe to trade for this year - now we are having some regrets. I was just on the snowmobile forum, and if you think WE are whining, you should head over there!

I heard yesterday that a chunk of ice the size of Manhattan has fallen off of the polar ice cap - they're worried about the ice bergs once the shipping lanes re-open.

If this is global warming, I'm not happy about it!

SheFly

p.s.
Karen - tell hubby to be careful on that knee if he is heading to Killington .

[CycleChic06]

I actually heard someone was skiing last weekend at Killington and the conditions were pretty good. Let me know how the conditions were, maybe I will go to Killington this weekend instead of Mt Snow.

Emily

[telegirl]

Hey Emily- If you are interested, I just got off the phone with hubby. He skied Killington this afternoon and was suprised at the number of people who were skiing midweek - Then again, it is still right around the holiday and some people still have time off. But he said it wasn't too bad. Of course, areas get scraped off, but the snow wasn't bad. They were still making snow up top.

I don't know how it would compare to Mt. Snow, but it is skiable.....that's something, right??

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa - new snowshoes are a small investment to be sitting in a closet. Sadly, we purchased TWO BRAND NEW SNOWMOBILES this year, and there is no place to ride...

Yeah, snowshoes ARE a small investment- especially since you don't have to keep buying gas to keep them running! I sympathize with you about the brand new snowmobiles. Seriously, though, as with buying my bike, I did consider the added good environmental feeling of getting something that ran on leg power alone. I do so MANY errands into town on foot or by bike now instead of using my car like I used to.
Around here, we are seeing AMAZING numbers of boats, RV's, pickup trucks, campers, skidoos, Jetskis, kids' scooters, and off road vehicles sitting by the sides of the roads EVERYWHERE with For Sale signs on them. You practically can't even give them away at this point, what with gas prices so high and our paycheck power shrinking every day.
I also like the feeling of knowing I will be able to get into town for supplies if gas becomes totally unavailable and the roads are all closed in a blizzard. (ever the optimist!)

[anakiwa]

I was listening to the Eye on the Sky forecast this morning on VPR. They said that all the warm weather we're having is NOT global warming, it's El Nino. I feel better knowing that maybe it will all be better next year.

Supposedly there's still cross-country skiing in Stowe- I have most of tomorrow off and am planning on getting a long ski in before it all melts this weekend.

[tygab]

I love winter and this is the 2nd winterless winter. It is kind of worrying me, though on another level I am not minding not having snow to scrape and having to wear gloves, hat and coat everywhere I go.

But, this thought's stuck in my head - a few years ago I read that w/global warming aka climate change, our climate would become more like Atlanta's is today (or at least what we think of it as) at the end of the century. No skiing in winter. In fact it'd be rare to even get snow. And we'd have hot muggy summers.

Um, isn't that what we've had the last two years? I know, two years are meteorologically speaking a poor statistical sampling. But it just has stuck in my head that the future is here a few years early.

Anyway, yeah, I'd like some snow. I didn't ski last season at all. I haven't skied in New England yet this year. Robyn and I have plans to snowshoe if there's ever enough. Last year's Tubbs Snowshoe 5k was in mud, not snow. This year's is looking the same way (and I'm not registered, mostly for this reason).

It's not quite warm and bright enough to entice me out on the bike, though if it's going to be 60 that's about the right temp to get me out there...

[Crankin]

OK, even though I love being able to get out on my bike, I feel weird about this weather. First, it feels like the season has never ended. Not that there's enough light to ride after work now, but in another couple of weeks, there will be, for me at least. But I've had my bike on the trainer, back outside, back in, for weeks now. Every time I ride outside and it's 50 degrees, I feel like it might be my last outdoor ride for awhile. Then it isn't. The really cold weather (less than 35 or so) allows me to feel totally not guilty for trying to ride outside in the cold. So far, I've only had this happen once this year. I really do want to use my snow shoes and x country skis. We are going up to NH at the end of January. Hopefully, there will be some snow. I sort of feel like I'm back in Arizona. Cold nights and fairly warm days at this time of year.

Am I the only one who feels strange?

[Teddyparker]

OK, Am I the only one who feels strange?

I feel the same as you. Its January 5 and I was out on the trails slogging through mud and water. I am glad to be riding but prefer lower 40s and frozen dry trails. I am a bit disappointed that its going to rain tomorrow though(I was thinking road ride). Sunday will be better.
However, being a teacher, this is the time of year I like to watch weather forecasts hoping for those days off so I can have fun in the snow (snowshoeing, xcountry skiiing and shoveling ). I have feeling we will get our snow soon and these days will be fond memory.

[DebW]

OK, even though I love being able to get out on my bike, I feel weird about this weather.

Am I the only one who feels strange?

Yup, very strange. I was sitting outside in shirt sleeves working a sudoku puzzle this evening at 7 pm and cooking on the grill.

[KnottedYet]

Geez.... some people have all the luck! (Deb... this means you!)

- Knot shivering in her 2 pr socks, long undies, fuzzy pants, sweater, wool vest, wool ear-flap hat, and INSIDE with the heat on and sippin' a hot toddy.