Will a Nor-Easter in NY be realistic fiction someday?

I never thought I'd hear myself say the words "I miss snow." Growing up in Plattsburgh, a small town in the Northeast corner of New York State, and being the dutiful 'shoveler' of 3 driveways after every snowstorm left me always thinking of tropical retirement as a teenager. I remember that my hands would get so warm from "working out" that I'd lose my gloves shortly after starting and by the end of the winter my knuckles would be dried and blood-cracked (after all no real man would use moisturizer!).

Times they have certainly changed!

Perhaps it's that I have my own children and, as a teacher, snow days are play (outside) days, or perhaps it's just that I am thinking about things that I may not have some day, but as I sit on the eve of December and temperatures are in the 40s I realize that I MISS SNOW.

I miss how quiet it gets outside during a snow storm. I miss how, no matter how cold, the humidity in the air makes me feel warm when I'm shoveling. This warmth makes me feel connected to the outdoors, like I could actually be a mountain-man with a cabin in the Rockies. I miss how traffic moves slowly and people actually take care to be more observant about their driving habits. And of course, I miss the activities that come right after coming inside on a snowy, wintry day (movies, soup, and of course awesome naps). There is nothing like that drowsiness that overwhelms red cheeks and sore backs.

I teach students about global warming and climate change and while the debate used to be about whether or not it was occurring, we now discuss what New York could be like in the coming decades.

One thing I know for sure is that I will miss snow.