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It’s time for a confession.  Don’t get too excited.  Unless you like snow.  Because I have a problem.  You may think you love snow, but I promise you my love of snow is unparalleled more times than not.  My love of weather, in general, goes back to when I was either 3 or 4 years old.  I got a weather kit as a gift for a birthday or holiday.  I measured rainfall, snowfall, the barometric pressure, etc.  My love of weather has never left me.  In fact, for a long time I thought I might be a meteorologist.  It turns out it’s just a passionate hobby.  Growing up in Cleveland I was a pig in mud in the winter.  With average annual snowfall of around 70 inches, I could count on plenty of snow cover to keep me happy all 3 months of winter (ok, let’s be serious:  all 7 months).  When my family moved to Dallas I lamented the weather.  I didn’t mind the heat that Dallas offered (I’m talking, “it’s too hot to play outside today” kind of heat) and I was fascinate by tornado season, but I missed winter.  One Thanksgiving we were blessed with 6 inches of slushy snow.  Guess what family became very popular due to their extensive sled collection they brought with them from Cleveland!?  Unfortunately it melted by noon that day.  As I mentioned in an earlier post I’ve lived in Columbus for most of my life.  And guess what?  Columbus only gets a paltry 27 inches of snow per year.  A vast improvement from Dallas but nothing near Cleveland.  Then a few years ago my parents moved to Syracuse (they are now back in Dallas) and Syracuse averages 125 inches of snow per year.  We visited one Christmas (or was it Thanksgiving?) and they had 4 FEET of snow on the ground.  And it wasn’t more than that because they had significant melt ahead of our visit.  The original storm had brought something like 90 inches of snow over a 2 week time frame.  THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!  My parents could not open the back door.  When we got in for the holiday my siblings and I (well into our 20s at this point) wasted no time and went sledding almost every day. 

So while I live in Columbus now and we only get 27 inches per year, we are off to a strong start this year.  I think it has snowed 3 or 4 times already, with one “major” event (in Columbus “major” is loosely defined as >1-2 inches).  I have enjoyed every minute of it and look forward to some more over the next several months.  I’m hoping for the chance to get away and ski a bit this year (and to teach Anissa how to ski!). 

The first snow of the year (this may have been in October but I'm not totally certain of that)

The first snow that stuck to the ground this year.   I wish I had time to make a snowman.

 

I can’t really explain my fascination with weather, particularly snow.  But I just love being in it.  Driving scares me a bit, but it’s a fair price if you ask me!  I wish Columbus got more than 27 inches per year!  I don’t mind shoveling.  I love to build forts.  I love to ski. 

So there you have it.  My name is Jeff Kent.  I am 28 years old.  I am a snow-aholic.