The Winter That Never Was

Hello! The Winter That Never Was has morphed into summer-like weather the past days. Several weather records have been set, such as the earliest in a year this region has seen a 80 degree temperature, and various record high temperatures have been reached ever since this unusually hot weather arrived last week. Some days we have been 40 degrees above the average high - crazy! Today the local paper commented that it's more like what spring usually looks like 500 miles south of here on this date. 

Yesterday, Wednesday, we reached 85. Wednesdays are also one of the two days our local farmer's market operates - when it's in season. I kept thinking that I should stop at the farmer's market - because it was farmer's market weather! But it doesn't open for the season until mid May. 

Every other year we've lived here, the vegetable garden soil is still frozen at this point, and often there is still snow on top that has to melt before the ground can begin to thaw. I'm not sure if the soil even froze this winter! Needless to say, I took advantage of this unusual situation to put sow seeds of greens, lettuces and snow peas. Usually in the early spring it will take several days for these early sowings to germinate - but last week, it only took a couple of days for some of the lettuces to begin poking up through the soil!

Another early arrival:

These tulips are blooming near the edge of downtown. There is concern that this unusually warm weather will lead to the early blooming of the thousands of tulips that are front and center during the town's annual tulip festival. It's supposed to cool down beginning tomorrow, with no more 80's in the near future. But with the festival still over a month away, it remains to be seen as to far along the tulips will be at that time.

This has definitely been the most unusual Michigan winter I have ever known! Thus far my town has officially recorded 48" snow, which is a lesser amount than what we've sometimes gotten in one winter month in years past. 48" is less than half of  what we usually see in these parts in a winter. 

Now, we still could get a snowstorm sometime next month, but it won't stick around, leaving us to remember this as The Winter That Never Was.