Clear and 2° in Ely, MN

As much as I love Ely, MN, there are times I'm really glad I live in the south.

Take today, for instance. I have been working around the house, getting rooms cleared out, and generally, I leave the windows cracked open to let fresh air mingle with the old oxygen-depleted air typical of the indoors. But this evening I'm cold. And when I say I'm cold, I mean I had to close all the windows... except the one in the powder room, which I keep cracked open almost all the time. But as cold as I have been this evening, it's nothing compared to the bone-cold of the Northwoods.

The weather report for the greater Ely area this evening is clear and 2°. Brrrrrrr! Whenever I think about how I would love to move up to the BWCA, with its crisp, clear water, unpolluted skies and abundant wildlife, I slap myself around and try to remember how cold COLD can be. Since moving to Memphis in 1982, I have had to adjust to milder weather than I was used to, growing up in the Chicago area. I can count on one hand the times we have had temperatures below the freezing mark, and snowfalls of four inches or more are equally as rare.

Usually, one inch of snow in Memphis is enough to close the schools. I guess the school system doesn't want to be responsible for the safety of their students once it starts to snow. But "White Death Panic" is not exclusive to the school system here. Colleges, churches and community activities shut down immediately. Some businesses close, but most have an "inclement weather policy" in which they outline what to do in case of a snow emergency. This policy generally states that although the employer will be open for business, they caution their employees to take care in traveling to work. Nice. Especially since mass pandemonium ensues once the first flake hits the ground. I remember one winter in particular, when we received 8 inches of snow. Weather forecasters went on the air saying "Do I see snow in the forecast? Details at 10." Just the mere mention of snow in the forecast is enough to cause unrest in the city. Grocery stores were emptied of all bread, milk and toilet paper the night before the storm hit. The city shut down for a week.

I guess I should mention here that there is no snow removal equipment in Memphis. Okay, "no snow removal equipment" is not quite accurate. There are four snow plows in the city of Memphis. Got that? FOUR! And what about salt-spreaders? None! They spread "cinders" here. Cinders = ash. Huh? How am I supposed to get around the scores of idiots who, instead of waiting it out a little, immediately take to the roads to get home before they melt if they are not using something that will give a little traction?

Add to that the fact that Memphis winters are not pretty anyway, and you have a place that has milder temperatures, but all in all, is not worth staying in for the winter. Suddenly, clear and 2° isn't sounding so bad.

Nazdrovie'

Paczki Puta