Picture of the day - January 5, 2007

Wintertime Cherry Blossoms

We have had an unseasonably warm winter to date here in southwestern Virginia with the mercury rising well into the upper 60's - and today it actually rose all the way up to 70 degrees! I decided to visit the Washington County Library this afternoon so I drove over there, parked my car and started walking down the sidewalk. As I approached the building, I noticed that the ornamental cherry tree growing near the door was in bloom - today, on January 5! Seeing those cherry blossoms all "busted out" at a time of year when the ground should be white with snow reminded me of how much our climate has changed in just a few short decades. When I was a kid, the winters here were very long and very cold, and once snow began falling in November the ground usually stayed white until late February or even March. In fact, I can remember at least one winter during which  Washington County's schools were closed for the entire month of January! We kids spent virtually every day that month playing outside, building snowmen and sledding from mid-morning until at least 4:00pm. But nowadays large snowfalls are about as common as honest politicians, and the youngsters have few opportunities to stay home and play in the snow. Some people blame the climate change on "global warming" while others believe it's simply part of a naturally occurring weather cycle. Regardless of which side is right, the change is real and noticeable, and most of the kids I know aren't very happy about.   Submit a photo of your own! Picture of the day archives