The Midwest translation of “what you say is accurate” is a 4-word statement, “it’s fair to say.” I don’t believe there is a negative version to this saying, but let’s put the statement to the test (another Midwest statement that gives finality to many conversations.)

So, it is fair to say that our winter weather so far is no indicative of a normal December and January in North Dakota. However, last night the local meteorologist did not want to completely sell out on the winter of 2023 & 2024. He said that “it is fair to say that March weather can be more like winter than spring, so it is certainly still possible that we get some challenging winter weather. Because he is meteorologist, and has been in North Dakota all of his life, I think his statement makes sure that we are not at least thinking there is a possible return to winter, albeit that we have navigated a couple of the most challenging months of the year, with only about week of true winter weather.

And then we move on to another statement concerning the next couple of months. It is fair to say that spring could be early this year, and without much snow to melt there would be little run off. Or could it be easier summed up by saying “it would be fair to say that winter is over?”

Had I not lived in North Dakota for over 65 years, might accept the “Halleluiah, winter is over” statement. Certainly, I have little control over what Mother Nature sends our way, but I can remember several spring storms happening late in March and even early in April. What might be more accurate is the statement “it is fair to say that I don’t think winter is quite over yet.” Your length of tenure in North Dakota, and experience with normal winter weather will give you the credibility to make such a statement.

So, for all of you who are wondering, it is fair to say that indeed, we are probably not completely done with winter weather quite yet.

Don’t head for the shed with your snow shovels. Don’t move the snowblower to the front of your garage, and most important, plan of working around those overstuffed closets that are, and will be, filled with winter coats and accessories, ready to deploy at a moments’ notice.

And finally, it is certainly fair to say that even with our years of North Dakota tenure and late spring storms, our look ahead is probably not a whole lot more accurate than the February 2nd event commonly referred to as Groundhog’s Day. It pretty much fair to say that the advice we offer is nothing more than a wild guess. But still, it’s acceptable to speak North Dakotan and “it’s fair to say, people will nod, and accept.”

Today’ Chuckle
Kids have it easy these days. When we were young, we suffered terribly with nothing but flip phones and 100 cable channels.

Best Kept Secrets
The Northern Sentry has been fortunate to receive several photos the past couple of weeks, with families taking part in winter activities for our Wintery Photo Contest. We had a photo of a young mom taking her toddler on the ice at MAYSA Arena for the very first time. We also had a family that had taken advantage of the great snow conditions at Bottineau Winter Park. We may look out at our back yard and not have snow, but the area ski resorts, Bottineau Winter Park, Huff Hills, Frost Fire and Holiday Mountain, have all reported excellent snow conditions. So, no secrets here…plan a weekend outing and enjoy what has been great winter weather conditions (except if you really wanted snow).