Just wait (and wait and wait)—it will snow ~ January 17, 2007

David Heiller

Sometimes pays to procrastinate.

Andrew Larson pointed that out to me or Monday morning. Andrew is our graphic design worker. I had told him on Friday that my story about the lack of snow hadn’t quite been written yet.

“I’m procrastinating,” I told him, Andrew seemed to admire my honesty, and admitted that he was pretty good at doing that to He had a bit of pride in his voice. Yes, it does lurk in the male psyche, So I understood him, I think.

“You were right about the story,” Andrew said after greeting me Monday morning. I gave him my usual dull look, and responded with “Huh?”

“The snow!” he said.

“Oh right, right,” I replied with a slow smile.

This was David's last column.
I chuckle to myself, I don't think this is one
 he would have wanted to go out on...
 This is one of my last pictures of David,
 taken on a snow-less Christmas Eve
 hike in Beaver Creek State Park.
Later that winter hard snows came
while I was alone and caused a lot of
 damage that I was not prepared for.

See, for the past month I’ve been meaning to write about our wimpy winter: First it was the warm weather angle. How is the above-freezing weather affecting farmers? I made mental notes at the Redwood Cafe one day as Kenneth Meyer and Mike Carpenter explained the hazards of freezing and thawing on alfalfa fields.

How are loggers faring with the muddy ground? How about trappers, ice fishermen? There’s no safe ice!

Jane Palen was going to interview business people. NO snow can mean no business for places that rely on snow and snowmobilers. We were going to divide and conquer and write an award winning story!

I even started taking pictures; 1 took one of Meyer’s snow removal equipment sitting on his green lawn, I eyed the golf cart that sat in the back of Paul Weichert’s pickup. Golfing in January? There’s a story.

I talked to Fred Kruckow as he tinkered with a snowmobile that he was selling for his son. I took notes about the pros and cons of the mild weather on Kruckow’s gravel and snow plowing business. He told me that it’s easier starting equipment and getting things done. But then again there isn’t any snow removal, so that hurts their income: Seems like there are always pluses and minuses, no matter what the weather,

All that ended Sunday night when the snow started falling. Then Andrew put an official end to the story Monday morning as he con­gratulated me on my God-given skill of putting something off.

We only received about six inches of snow But it’s a start, Now I say, like our great president, “Bring it on!” I like snow. I like how it looks and feels. I like how it lets me brag to Cousin Barb out there in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We are Minnesotans, We’re tough.

Then maybe I can write an. article about all the snow we get, That’s always a good story

But then again, if I wait long enough, it will melt.