Enough snow, let's spring ahead to warm weather

Folks, I am so sorry. I have always said that if I ever made a mistake I would be the first to admit it.

Well, I did and I am. I am filled with shame and consternation over what I did and what I asked of you. It is something that I must carry for the rest of my natural born days. On bended knee and with lowered head, I am asking your forgiveness.

Knowing the kind of people you are, I am sure you will extend your hand in friendship and grant to me your undeserved forgiveness. To refresh your memory about my actions for which I am asking you to forgive me, I will give you some excerpts of the dastardly things I thought, and said.

My first remarks were to share a heartfelt concern for which I feel no guilt, they were: “I have been hearing some people talking around town and what they are saying has caused me a lot of worry and grief.

If this kind of thing keeps up it could cause a great divide among all of us living in this area. There would emerge so many different groups, each having different ideas, that a person would be hard put in trying to find out the truth of the matter.

It could turn younguns against their folks and turn parents against their offspring. Unless we stop what's going on feelings will become so intense that many will start beating their plow-shares into swords, and peace will be no more.”

I then went on to share a little early history with you, for which I feel no guilt. I said, “We moved up here to Sandpoint in about 1980. I don't rightly remember how much snow we had that year but it was more than I had ever seen. It started one night and it was still a-going all the next day. I tried putting on my best pioneer face and keeping my mouth shut but when the snow reached the depth of maybe five-six inches I became alarmed. I saw my next door neighbor out in his yard and I called to him, “What do you think of all this snow?”

He called right back at me, “Oh! Taint nothing; you should have been here in ‘68.”

Then I tried to give a picture of the problem as I saw it, and I feel no guilt about that. I wrote: “A few yeas passed and when it snowed I found myself out actively looking for new comers.

I could hardly wait for them to furtively ask my opinion on the snow situation so I could say, “Oh! Taint nothing; you should have been here in ‘96.” Now can you see what I am talking about? Now can you see the festering problem that might just split our wonderful community asunder?

That is what all these people I have heard talking are out spreading around town. They are arguing about what year had the deepest snow fall.

Some are saying it was back in ‘23, others swear it was ‘48 and some just know it was ‘68, or was it ‘96? Folks, this has just got to stop or we will surely become a house divided.”

I then gave what I felt, at the time, was a viable solution, and there was no guilt connected to that. I penned: “My friend, the answer is snow. I know we have had some pretty good dustings but to eliminate all this talk on the streets we need more. I think maybe two or three feet would do it. It would mean a coming together of our entire fair city with one thing in mind-let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

It would mean our social organizations, our schools, our churches, our civic clubs, and every citizen contributing to the cause by setting aside a portion of their day to fervently request more and more snow.”

I ended with a picture of what could be the payoff saying, without guilt, “I know a couple of feet more snow would be a slight inconvenience to a few of you.

Next year when it snows, can you visualize a populace united, arm in arm, faces glowing with the pioneer look, out searching for the new comers? It will be such a glorious experience to be able to say to them as one voice, without the confusion of years past, “Oh! Taint nothing; you should have been here in ‘07-'08.”

Folks, after thinking things over, I am asking you to forget my first paragraph. I don't feel any guilt at all but I do feel a great bunch of alarm, despair, fear, helplessness, impending doom, cabin fever, gloom and desolation.

You have sufficiently shown what you can do by “thinking snow.” Please, please stop!

Think spring, think summer, think sunshine, think warm days, think barbecues, think trips on the lake.

Oh, the heck with it, think anything you want but don't think snow.