ON THE MARK

I’m no meteorologist, but I’m confident in saying that spring has finally come. The past few weeks have been unbearably cold, while snow melted here and there only to freeze over and create more problems.

I’m sure most of us experienced a blistering chill or two during our visit to the campus. For those who live in the dorms and had to get through a broken water main, even if only for about a day, you know what it was like to run for a coat or blanket and hold it close for dear life. Even making the minute-long walk to the Student Center was something else! Jeans are a terrible choice to make in the winter, but it’s all I had.

Just how cold was it, and was it really such a problem? When the temperature drops into the negative digits, I’d say it’s a big problem. To some people who work indoors or from home, the cold isn’t that noticeable. A simple sweatshirt is enough to combat the chill coming in under the doors or windows. Some tea or hot chocolate along with snuggling up with a favorite pet or loved one sounds wonderful on a cold day. But for my family and I, we’re out in the elements when we do our work in South Haven. This means we have to bundle up whenever we want to do tractor work, inspect the greenhouses and more.

This isn’t to say that I hate the winter season. I can’t speak for my family, however, given that we all harbor a bitter resentment toward mother nature in general. The snow in South Haven was smooth and crisp like a sheet of plastic.

There wasn’t anything fluffy about our snow. Instead, it looked like ice and crunched under our feet as if we were treading upon fragile glass. Any water outside would freeze within an hour. Sad news for the three barn cats who fail to drink up the water I bring them, but everyone scrapes by the best that we can.

On our family farm, we have a greenhouse for flowers and seeding, as well as a high tunnel for bigger loads, such as tomatoes or raspberries. Because of all the plastic and sheeting that goes into their design, walking into the high tunnel makes one feel as if they had left the frozen tundra and stepped into a crude recreation of Florida.

Here we all were, bundled up in warm coats and gloves, and we took it all off when we got into that high tunnel. We even put on music as we wandered out and back in with heavy boxes and bags of dirt in our arms.

But now it seems that the winter season is over and we can get on with our lives without having to endure the cold. The sun is shining, the snow is melting and soon, those ugly patches of yellow-green grass will perk up and look mighty appealing for a picnic spot. Even though things are turning out for the better, I can’t help but wonder if such extreme cold will come back next winter. Plus, if it was so cold and we’re in mild Michigan…

Tear off your coats and pack those coolers, people. I can only assume that we’ll be in for one doozy of a summer.