Madison Town Column: Elementary school to host Cafe Noel Dec. 1

Surprise is a word that some would use to describe the particularly white weather we’ve had as of late, but then again, that word is often accompanied with the feeling of joy. Not all who have traveled about town felt that joy as they went careening into ditches or maybe failed to negotiate some of our more notorious hills. I, on the other hand, reluctantly went about digging out the plow, and waking it up for winter. The squeaks and groans of the metal coming back to life were oddly similar to that of waking my 11-year-old up for school in the morning, both of which seemed to be asking for just a little more time to sleep.

But, that’s what we do. As seasoned New Englanders, we have many eye-rollingly cliched sayings about the weather, but we slip and slide our way in and out of winter each year with often little difficulty and sometimes little patience. Even though it’s easy to blame the local road crews for how bad the roads are when it snows, please remember that these crews often work all hours of the days and nights to mitigate what the clouds throw at us, not prevent it. Common sense dictates that If you have to drive, take your time. Leave early and plan ahead. My reputation is often that of ignoring such advice, but I encourage you to heed it nonetheless.