We are about to slog through another ugly weekend of January wintry weather with rain and snow — and a lack of sunshine.
But we can take some degree of solace in the words of Vita Sackville-West, an English poet, novelist and garden designer:
“The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer. Minute by minute they lengthen out.
“It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change. It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour.”
After a Friday filled with 100 percent chance of rain (just look out the window), it will be cloudy tonight with a low around 34 and a 60 percent chance of continued rain.
A rain and snow mix is expected Saturday with a high around 37 and a low around 32. We may see an inch total of snowfall, though accompanying periods of rain may quickly wash it away.
Sunday will seem like wash, rinse and repeat with rain and snow during the day, with a high near 35 and low around 31.
The National Weather Service office in Cleveland describes the next workweek as cloudy with highs in the mid 30s and lows in the upper 20s. It will likely be Thursday before the area sees any sustained sunshine.
Look on the bright side. Yes, we are still almost two months away from Spring. But pitchers and catchers for the Cleveland Indians report to spring training in just a couple of weeks.
How is the start of baseball important to winter and our mindset about life? Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby once said:
“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
