And About the Weather...

February 07, 2011

Midwesterners have always been talented at talking about the weather.  Ever since I moved to Kansas City, I have noted the cultural tendency to mention the weather in every conversation, especially after a big meteorological event like last week's blizzard.  But, this is nothing new. 

You know, after the Dust Bowl swept through the Midwest in the 1930's and residents began to return, they all began to tell stories.  They told stories of where they went after they were driven from their homes, what life was like in that new place, and how they managed to return.  But most of all, they told stories of the cataclysmic dust storms that drowned their land and asphyxiated their animals.  Eventually, ads began to appear in newspapers offering to listen to people's Dust Bowl stories for a small fee. Telling the stories is a way Midwesterners have of dealing with the experience, and eventually, moving past it.

So, I open this blog to you.  Comment below, and tell us all about that snow storm last week.  How many days were you trapped indoors?  Did you have to live off of the canned cranberry sauce you had left over from Thanksgiving?  How high was the tallest snowdrift at your home (and did you fall into it)?  How were you affected by this storm?  What are you doing to get ready for the next one?

Brian M.
Boardwalk Branch