Okie in a Winter Wonderland

Lake Effect Snow Watch in effect from late tonight to Friday afternoonThe National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued a lake effect snow watch, which is in effect from late tonight through Friday afternoon.A fast moving clipper will approach Northwest Pa. today bringing more lake effect snow to most locations by early Thursday morning. The snow will begin late tonight and continue through the day on Thursday with anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snow possible by Thursday evening. Winds will become Northwesterly Thursday evening allowing additional lake effect snow from Lake Huron to affect Northwest Pa. through Friday.Additional accumulation of 5 to 7 inches will be possible Thursday night bringing storm total accumulation to over a foot in most locations.-- National Weather ServiceFor more information, visit http://www.erieweather.com/ Last changed: December 06. 2006 9:11AM

The above forecast is for the area where my cousin once removed has moved to. She lived and worked for several years in northwest Arkansas and I am afraid she has been overcome by a malady that sometimes affects Texans and Okies who stay too long a little too far north of the Red River. It almost happened to Becky and me when we lived in Missouri for three years. We actually began to talk about buying property up there.

It has something to do with being deprived of the ultra low frequency waves of common sense that emanate from the Texas soil. After extended absence from this most needed force, the northern climes can begin to seem normal, and acceptable. Once this safeguard of Texas Force is lost, often the victim will range even further north with no regard to the obvious warnings of mother nature to turn back to the south.

So, after a few years in Arkansas, she has now moved to a place where when the wind blows out of the west a foot of snow falls. She writes for a newspaper up there, and I read some of her ramblings ever so often. Even though she has been away from this area for an extended time, she comes home often enough to keep most of her wits about her, and compared to the poor souls born and raised in the north, and entirely devoid of the benefit of Texas Force, she is a beacon of light in the cold darkness.

Ronnie