STORMS AND THE PRAIRIE PSYCHE

The Weather Channel has been toying with us again.  Getting us all excited about SNOWFALL WARNINGS and STORM WATCHES.  Sending us into a dither of ‘better get that done before the snow flies” activities, like any self-respecting prairie person knows to do.

I think our brains are wired a little differently.  Most humans are quite happy with mundane weather.  They like gentle rains, moderate sunshine, warm, starry nights, mild breezes, soft snowfalls. 

And winters that only last six weeks, or so.

There’s no denying that we prairie people like these things as well, but only 90% of the time.  The other 10% of our weather better have some pizzazz to it.

We like challenge.  We rise to adversity.  We like to prove that we’ve got what it takes to survive.  We want to shake our fists at Mother Nature and yell “Is that all you’ve got?” 

Okay, I retract that last bit.  Mother Nature is not to be messed with.  She’s always got more.  Forget I said that, please.

What we really want is bragging rights.  We want to prove to ourselves that we can survive tornadoes or blizzards or floods because we were prepared for what was to come and met the challenge with ingenuity and resources set aside for just such an occasion, like trees blowing over on power lines or roads being closed for a week.  I’ve often wondered which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Did the wilds of the Canadian Prairies attract the kind of people who embraced this kind of challenge?  Or did the wild nature of this place form us into who we are today?

But enough with the philosophy, and back to what was going through my head yesterday while I waited for the BIG STORM to hit.  The snow was not materializing as predicted and to ward off my disappointment at the wimpy fizzle that seemed to be replacing a true storm, I got to thinking about what it is that I like about blizzards, anyway.

Ironically, I realized the best thing about blizzards is the feeling of being safe and warm inside.  I love to hear the power of a raging wind … from inside my comfy house.  I love the way snow will stick to and build up on the windows making the scene so much prettier … from the inside.  I love to head out into the storm to try to capture the storm’s power in photographs … and then return to my cozy house to thaw out my phone and see if any of the pictures turned out.  Turns out I don’t actually want to experience the storm so much as I want observe it from a safe and warm distance.

There have been a couple significant storms I’ve been storm-stayed here on my own over the past 40 years.  Some people might get pretty uptight about being alone but I don’t mind solitude in reasonable doses.  I even began playing with the idea of if it happened again how I would be free to laze through the stormy days, living on snacks and soup, reading and napping at my leisure – a woman’s idea of the perfect ‘stay-cation’.  I was totally buying into this storm-induced holiday until I remembered that there are pigs to feed these days. 

Chores at 10 below zero and a driving wind; no thank you.

The possibility of the power going out and the water freezing up; no thank you.

The generator over in the shop where it’s not going to do me any good; no thank you.

Prairie people are also known for being practical, and this is me embracing my practical side.  Yes, I still love the majesty of a prairie storm, but from the inside.  I’ll do my part cooking for the guy who does the chores and who keeps my phone charged.

There’s supposed to be another storm coming at us this weekend.  We’ll see if the Weather Network gets it right this time. 

Part of me is saying “Bring it on!” 

The other part is planning on being more of a spectator than a participant.