New Englanders, especially the old timers, are incredibly hardy.
You know why we keep talking about the Blizzard of '78? Because it was fracking amazing, that's why. It thunder-snowed sideways for three straight days. It snowed so fast that the plows couldn't keep up with it (hence people abandoning vehicles on highways). Even though the sun came out and it was warm and beautiful when it all ended, the snowbanks were so tall that no one could see to drive around corners or through intersections. Everything was closed for a week or more. We all just walked everywhere, right down the middle of streets and freeways, and partied straight for a solid seven days.
Now, we have today's New England snow storms. Essentially, each is a non-event. The fact that the weather forecasters have the latest technology available and still cannot get it right is beyond me. Take last week, for example. It was 50 degrees, kids were playing outside without coats, and the air did not have that distinctive stink of snow. In other words, where I live would be a snow-free zone.
Superintendents all across the state panicked. Gawd forbid the parents actually have to get up in the morning and . . . gasp . . . plan. Newsflash: Parents plan anyway. We plan for possible snow days. We plan for early releases. We plan for all kinds of contingencies.
What is absolutely worse than a snow day? A snow day without snow.
This was our big "blizzard" last week - we didn't even get a dusting of snow. Barely even a flake fell, and, when it hit the warm ground, it melted instantly. This was the dire event that forecasters hyped up so forcibly that even garbage collection was cancelled. Anyone who lives in New England and considers an amount of snowfall under a foot to be "a significant event" is either a Newbie or a moron. A foot of snow is chump change here in New England. A significant amount of snow starts around eighteen inches and goes up from there.
Okay, so a few parts of the state, mostly to the south or along the coast, did see snow. Excellent. Bully for you. The rest of us lost a much-needed work day. Schools now have to make up a non-snow snow day in June, when we want to be on vacation or at sports camps or at the beach.
So, if you wonder why people still talk about the Blizzard of '78, it could be because people had brains back then. People didn't call off school or garbage collection or close stores or businesses or government offices until they actually saw snow, until it actually happened. Yes, we had to watch the television or listen to the radio or rely on phone trees to get the word out, but I'm pretty certain none of us was dumb enough to go to school in a blizzard nor stay home when it remained dry.
Yes, we're not just hardy, we old timers are practical, as well. Must be all the snow we slogged through.
