31 It’s almost the beginning of April and, as I’m walking to class, I almost slip and fall. On what, you might ask? Well, not a banana peel or wet grass, but snow and ice. Yes, plenty of snow and ice in the spring. This winter has not been a pleasant one. The frustration rises across Bethel’s campus day after day as we have been pelted with huge snowflakes while we walk across campus wrapped up in our puffy coats. I can hardly remember what the heat from the sun feels like. I have the same routine every morning. I roll out of bed 30 minutes before class, get dressed and open our front door. I have hopes that the day will be warm and the snow will be gone, but I am disappointed once again. 
It seems like we are the only region in the country that is having a ridiculously extended winter. Other parts of the country; Arizona, California, Florida and the Carolinas seem to be basking in sunshine on a daily basis. Although the people there think that they too have been blasted with winter temperatures, claiming that “70 degrees is a little chilly.” Oh, what we in the Midwest would do for some 70 degree weather. As I speak it is 70 degrees and mostly cloudy in Clearwater, Fla. It is 60 degrees and overcast in Los Angeles. Here in Indiana it’s 25 degrees and snowing. Prior to Dec. 12, 2013 it had been close to three years (1035 days to be exact) since the area saw temperatures at or below zero. We have definitely ended that streak. This winter in the South Bend area has been the fifth coldest on record. There have been 19 days where temperatures dipped below zero, with the coldest being minus 14 degrees on both Jan. 6 and 28 of this year. I can’t help but think this spring is never going to arrive. I find myself constantly logging onto the National Weather Service site to find a light at the end of this cold, dark tunnel. My hopes are high and my eyes are as wide as a little kid’s on Christmas as I wait for the webpage to load so I can see the future temperatures. Yet I find myself bogged down once again by the unpromising forecast that is Indiana weather. I suppose the only good part of this winter is that I actually haven’t fallen while walking across campus. That may not be much but hey, I’m trying to find some good in this mess. I hear complaining and griping from my classmates and my family members, but I can’t blame them. I’m right up there with them, bickering and whining about this weather. My flip-flops and tank tops are long gone and lost in the back of my closet, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I wore them. The birds are chirping, but they are probably pretty confused. The buds are trying to peek through, but they fail. The famous saying “April showers bring May flowers” should be changed this year to “April snows make May come slow.”
It seems like we are the only region in the country that is having a ridiculously extended winter. Other parts of the country; Arizona, California, Florida and the Carolinas seem to be basking in sunshine on a daily basis. Although the people there think that they too have been blasted with winter temperatures, claiming that “70 degrees is a little chilly.” Oh, what we in the Midwest would do for some 70 degree weather. As I speak it is 70 degrees and mostly cloudy in Clearwater, Fla. It is 60 degrees and overcast in Los Angeles. Here in Indiana it’s 25 degrees and snowing. Prior to Dec. 12, 2013 it had been close to three years (1035 days to be exact) since the area saw temperatures at or below zero. We have definitely ended that streak. This winter in the South Bend area has been the fifth coldest on record. There have been 19 days where temperatures dipped below zero, with the coldest being minus 14 degrees on both Jan. 6 and 28 of this year. I can’t help but think this spring is never going to arrive. I find myself constantly logging onto the National Weather Service site to find a light at the end of this cold, dark tunnel. My hopes are high and my eyes are as wide as a little kid’s on Christmas as I wait for the webpage to load so I can see the future temperatures. Yet I find myself bogged down once again by the unpromising forecast that is Indiana weather. I suppose the only good part of this winter is that I actually haven’t fallen while walking across campus. That may not be much but hey, I’m trying to find some good in this mess. I hear complaining and griping from my classmates and my family members, but I can’t blame them. I’m right up there with them, bickering and whining about this weather. My flip-flops and tank tops are long gone and lost in the back of my closet, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I wore them. The birds are chirping, but they are probably pretty confused. The buds are trying to peek through, but they fail. The famous saying “April showers bring May flowers” should be changed this year to “April snows make May come slow.”
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