The ice is off the pond. Ducks have been swimming around and our resident pair of Canadian geese have been checking out their nesting site. Today is the vernal equinox (spring) and look what we woke up to! Des Moines had six inches. I would say we were close to that. The poor little robins don't know what to do. It certainly felt like spring Thursday.
Next to the sundial shoots of daffodils, iris and lilies were peeking through the ground. Anyone who has lived in Iowa sixty-six years knows that the calendar may say spring, but that doesn't mean the snow and cold are over.
The spring snow storm I remember the most was the one that began Sunday, April 8, 1973 and lasted into the 10th. Not only did we have 10+ inches of snow, the wind blew the snow into huge drifts.
We were living on the acreage NW of Urbandale then. Our lane was drifted completely full. Huge drifts formed behind the house - which the kids enjoyed playing on. I was unable to get to work for three days which my boss couldn't understand. The warmer temps and sun melted the snow off the plowed streets and roads very quickly. My lane looked more like the picture above.
I was finally able to get a neighbor to come with his tractor and scoop to dig us out. The snow in the lane was so deep he couldn't get through it. He made a track for us further out in the yard where the snow wasn't drifted as deeply.
What hurt me the most about that storm was the number of livestock lost. The neighbor who rented the farm ground around our acreage had just started getting baby calves. They had been so cute frolicking around the pasture. I know he lost several calves including some that were born during the blizzard. It seems I remember a farmer near St. Charles losing an entire herd when the cattle sheltered in a swale and were all smothered by the snow. Which puts these few inches in proper perspective.
Des Moine's six inches placed them at #3 on the all-time snowiest winter list. Just a few more inches and they will set a new record. Looks to me like they have a very good chance what with the rest of March and all of April yet to get through.
Spring? Bah. Humbug.
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