[vtcurlies]

Nooooo, you all have missed it entirely! The reason we all complain about the Vermont winters is to keep out the flat-landers!!! Since we are speaking the truth about our winters, they concentrate on those "bad" parts and miss all the good reasons to move here. (<diabolical laughter> bwaahaahaa) This way we get to keep Vermont to ourselves.

[unconscious]

Originally Posted by vtcurlies

Nooooo, you all have missed it entirely! The reason we all complain about the Vermont winters is to keep out the flat-landers!!! Since we are speaking the truth about our winters, they concentrate on those "bad" parts and miss all the good reasons to move here. (<diabolical laughter> bwaahaahaa) This way we get to keep Vermont to ourselves.

its not the snow nor the cold nor heat not people not flat lands nor moutains that keep me away.but the politics and the plan they have to take your bucks away.....but its getting that way everywhere.

[unconscious]

Originally Posted by arel

This is my first Vermont winter and I have adapted. As long as my furnace is working properly and I have warm clothes and shoes, I don't mind it at all.

I love the snow, especially now that I am a renter and I don't have to shovel it!

There are a few things I don't like about the winter here, though. I don't like losing daylight at 4:30. But even in New York, days were shorter in winter, so that is not something that is particular to northern New England.

And now that I have my studded snow tires and my winter driving confidence, I am not intimidated by winter driving. But I do worry about winter storms disrupting my travel plans in the winter.

Overall, though, I am enjoying my first Vermont winter. But, unlike GypsySoul22, I have my heat up to 68 or even, at times, 70 degrees. When my furnace broke down, I was not a happy camper at all, and this was before winter really kicked in. And if I had to shovel a 500 foot driveway after working for 12 hours, so that I could get out early the next morning, I would be unhappy about that, too.

So I have been mostly sheltered from the most challenging aspects of a Vermont winter.

At least so far.

good luck its the other dr u got to look out for.first snow 80 cars in ditch between anchrage & wasilla

[LisaMc46]

Having ived here for eight years I can't say I hate Vermont winters. Once you get used to the cold you can appreciate how beautiful everything looks covered in snow and there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy: snowshoeing, skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, etc. In states with less severe winters, you only get to do these things occassionally, if ever.

What gets me down is the length of our winters. When I lived in N.J. our spring bulbs would come up in March and by April the parks were filled with cherry blossoms. We would start our spring planting in late April or early May.

Here, our bulbs don't come up until early May and it's not safe to plant anything until after Memorial Day. By April, I'm sick of snow, but just as it starts to melt Mud Season rears it's ugly head and I'm ankle deep in muck.

I admire the creative ways some people around here have come up with to cope with the winter blahs. On Saturday, the local Rotary Club organized a Polar Bear Plunge at Lake Elmore. I took my kids to watch and it was 3 degrees with a water temperature of 34 degrees. Still people were happily plunging in dressed as pirates, vikings, ballerinas, etc. and the event raised a few thousand dollars for charity.

[NYLIER]

Originally Posted by vtcurlies

Nooooo, you all have missed it entirely! The reason we all complain about the Vermont winters is to keep out the flat-landers!!! Since we are speaking the truth about our winters, they concentrate on those "bad" parts and miss all the good reasons to move here. (<diabolical laughter> bwaahaahaa) This way we get to keep Vermont to ourselves.

That excuse is as old as the empty beer cans around your trailer.

[vtmedic]

i have no disdain for VT winters at all! it's just on of the many faces of VT that me this state so special. plus, even at -30 last week my woodstove kept my cabin a balmy 80 degrees! that helps!

[ex-springfielder]

You have to live through a few winters in the northeast to really understand them. Unlike the rest of the country our winters last a full six months starting by mid November and not ending until April. By february you've had your fill of winter yet there's still more then two months to go. Many times you'll look at the weather map for the US and see New England is the coldest area of the country. Listening to your furnace run and thinking about the price of fuel, of course you can heat with wood then all you have to do is buy the wood, stack the wood, carry the wood into the house and stack it again, get up in the middle of the night to throw more wood and on the fire. The first snow fall of the year is so beautiful, by March you want to scream every time it snows. Then of course there's the short daylight hours, not light until after 7:00 Am and dark by 4:30 PM, by 7:00 PM it feels like the middle of the night. Of course there's driving to and from work in the snow at 20 MPH, either leaving early or arriving late, scraping ice off the windshield and brushing snow off the car while it idles to warm up and trying to see through a half ice covered windshield while you drive because the defroster won't melt the ice on the sides of the windshield and the ice builds up on your wipers until all they do is leave smears and salt streaks. The worst part is there is no break, it goes on day after day. Today they're predicting another 12-18 inches, time to check the gas for the snowblower. On the plus side it gives you a deep appreciation for summer, all two months of it.

[Summerz]

Originally Posted by ex-springfielder

You have to live through a few winters in the northeast to really understand them. Unlike the rest of the country our winters last a full six months starting by mid November and not ending until April. By february you've had your fill of winter yet there's still more then two months to go. Many times you'll look at the weather map for the US and see New England is the coldest area of the country. Listening to your furnace run and thinking about the price of fuel, of course you can heat with wood then all you have to do is buy the wood, stack the wood, carry the wood into the house and stack it again, get up in the middle of the night to throw more wood and on the fire. The first snow fall of the year is so beautiful, by March you want to scream every time it snows. Then of course there's the short daylight hours, not light until after 7:00 Am and dark by 4:30 PM, by 7:00 PM it feels like the middle of the night. Of course there's driving to and from work in the snow at 20 MPH, either leaving early or arriving late, scraping ice off the windshield and brushing snow off the car while it idles to warm up and trying to see through a half ice covered windshield while you drive because the defroster won't melt the ice on the sides of the windshield and the ice builds up on your wipers until all they do is leave smears and salt streaks. The worst part is there is no break, it goes on day after day. Today they're predicting another 12-18 inches, time to check the gas for the snowblower. On the plus side it gives you a deep appreciation for summer, all two months of it.

Sad but true **in a nutshell there.

[GypsySoul22]

Yesterday I dug out the car and it was getting mighty old (digging out the car). The snow was heavier than usual. I'm still waiting for spring.

My husband went to work and said everyone was traveling okay until some superstar started going hell bend for leather on 89 and nearly rear ended a snow plow. This guy would have taken a bunch of other drivers with him. (IDIOT)

Why does the snow/ice bring out the 'dare devil' in some people?

[square peg]

They're not really daredevils - you had it right the first time. They are indeed idiots. And whenever I'm driving in the vicinity of one I will give them every opportunity to pass me. I'd rather have them in front of me than behind.

As for winter: I grew up in NH where it's similar but not quite as extreme. And after living 5 years in the Boston area and experiencing winters there, I'll take the ones we get every time.