A recent web poll on wset.com indicates we’re just about split on attitudes toward the ongoing winter snowstorms this year. Half of you say “bring it on!” You either love it or can at least tolerate it. The other half (of which I am aligned) says “enough already.” Monster storms in December, January and February (with more on the way) have left at least 50% of us wishing, hoping, dreaming about spring. We’re staring at the calendar and contemplating another four weeks or more of ice, snow, and blustery cold temperatures. I’m not sure the winter of 2010 is a record setter, but you’d get no argument from me if you wanted to declare it the most brutal ever.

This time of year, there’s never anything wrong with looking ahead and contemplating all the many things that make springtime in Virginia such a wonderful reawakening. So, perhaps to help all of us get our minds off the forecast…and dream of days ahead, here’s my Top Ten (in no particular order) of the best things on the immediate horizon.

• Mulching and planting – I’m not the world’s most avid gardener, but just getting back outside and getting your hands dirty is almost reason to celebrate.
• Daylight Savings Time – It starts Sunday March 14 this year, and it signals not having to go home from work in the dark.
• March Madness – The NCAA basketball tournament is about as good as it gets for sports excitement.
• Tax deadlines – Of course, the reason to look forward to this is the refund check.
• Easter – Actually, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday should all be included. They are the ultimate reawakening.
• Dogwoods and azaleas – For pure beauty of the season, it’s tough to beat this time of year in Virginia.
• Baseball – From Little League to the pros. The crack of the bat and pounding of the mitt surely point to warmth in the air.
• Spring break – School’s out and the kids are heading south, in search of a beach and some fun.
• Cardinals and robins – Just spotting these guys out of your back window is enough to bring a smile to your face.
• April showers – Well, you know what they say about April showers. And they are certainly preferable to anything that comes out of the sky in January or February.

 

Lately we've been covering a lot of weather. Last week, I covered the floods in Henry County and in South Boston. Then we had the snow storm last weekend and again, this weekend. I was pretty excited to see the snow fall at first but boy, have we been hit hard. After speaking with many of you, it seems like most are ready for spring. I've had so many people tell me how much they hate this weather. Every time someone says it, I always want to ask if they hated snow when they were younger. Do any children hate snow?

I remember wearing my pajamas inside out, doing silly snow dances and other weird rituals that all of the kids in my class promised to do in hopes of snow. The more days we got off school the more excited we were. It didn't matter if we'd have to make up days later - all that mattered was that we could play in the snow, go sledding and drink lots of hot cocoa. Now that I'm an adult, snow days aren't exactly the same as they used to be. WSET doesn't call us to tell us work is canceled for the day which means there's no time to play or go sledding.

I know there's a lot about this weather not to like: cold precipitation, slippery roads and salt and sand everywhere you look. I have to say though, my favorite part about bad weather is standing outside in it reporting back to you all at home. I know that might sound strange but I really do get an adrenaline rush when I'm out there. You may think it's crazy but for me, it really is fun. Even when it's cold and wet and miserable and even when the snow and rain are splashing all over me - I'd still rather be standing out there doing what I love to do than be sitting at home. I guess the one good thing about bad weather, is that it makes my job... a little more interesting.

When I was 5-years-old, in my first year of school, we had these things called “smileys”- a strip of paper with a smiley face stamped on the end. We had four of them in a pocket with our name on it. If we misbehaved, we pulled one out and took it to the teacher’s desk. If all four were left in our pocket by the end of the day, we got a big smiley-looking note to take home to our parents.

There were kids in my class who pulled multiple smileys a day. They could practically throw them from the pockets to the teacher’s desk. They laughed off the fact that they didn’t get to take a good note home. They just didn’t care.

I was NOT one of those children. In fact, the day I pulled my first – and may I say, my ONLY smiley – you would have thought someone ran over my dog. I cried. Boy, did I cry. I was crying when my mom picked me up, and I didn’t have a smiley-looking note to give her. I cried all the way home. I cried in my room. I even, sadly, remember crying myself to sleep. I remember my mom repeatedly telling me it was okay, that people mess up sometimes.