No Snow? Fine by Me. Because ...
Donnie Johnston makes his first appearance on the Advance's pages, opining on snow (or lack thereof), the Redskins/Commanders, Jimmy Carter, Baseball, and spring.
By Donnie Johnston
COLUMNIST
The holidays are over (thankfully) and life can get back to normal.
The bright lights of Christmas have dimmed, and the doom and gloom of January is beginning to settle in. Short cold days and long cold nights. A month not for the faint of heart.
Many of us are waiting for snow. We’ve all about given up on ever seeing another white Christmas. We are just too far south and too far east – and there is that climate change thing.
But January! There is always hope for snow in January, so each day we check that long-range weather forecast, which is pretty useless. But still, we pull it up each morning to see if it contains even a single flake. So far, the extended forecast has been a dud.
Oh, if you believe the forecasters, the cold air is about to settle in on us this weekend and last for a couple of weeks. But no moisture is predicted, at least as of this writing.
But that doesn’t stop us snow lovers from hoping. For a week now there have been GFS and European weather models appearing on social media, forecasts that hint of big storms with drifts to the rooftops. Usually they are “rogue” runs and disappear within hours. It is almost impossible to accurately predict weather past 36 hours.
Still the models appear on social media, and we get all excited, only to face a quick letdown.
Will we get snow this month? Well, we always get some type of frozen precipitation around Jan. 20, so there is a possibility.
The problem is that two weeks from now (where the long-range forecasts end) we will be halfway through winter. Yes, we can still get some major snow in early February, but by then the days have lengthened significantly and there is much more strength in the noonday sun.
January is our best bet for a lingering snow and things don’t look good. Still, we can hope…
Let’s change gears for a moment.
Has the world turned upside down? The team formerly known as the Washington Redskins in the penthouse and the Dallas Cowboys in the outhouse?
Well, the Formerly Knowns aren’t in the penthouse yet, but they are in the playoffs, and they can make this dismal January a little brighter if they whup up on the Cowboys Sunday in their regular season finale.
It has been a long time since the fans looked forward to games with real optimism, but this season Washington has given us our money’s worth and more.
Jayden Daniels? Maybe, just maybe, the Redskins/Commanders have found a true franchise quarterback. He’s smart, agile and has a great arm. Besides that, he seems to be a great kid. If he is not the NFL’s Rookie of the Year, something is wrong. Let’s just hope he doesn’t get hurt.
How far will Washington go in the playoffs? As far as its defense will take the team. The Redskins/Commanders have a proven offense, but defense is the name of the game when playoff time comes around. Winning as many as two games is not out of the question.
No matter, at least fans have something to look forward to. Just don’t blow Sunday’s game with Dallas.
On a sad note, Americans lost a former president earlier this week when Jimmy Carter died at age 100.
He may not have been the greatest president in our country’s history, but he was a good Christian man. Peanut farmer, governor of Georgia, Sunday School teacher and an advocate for Habitat for Humanity, he represented the common man.
I met Carter briefly in Atlanta in 1974 and was impressed with his friendliness and sincerity. He was a true gentleman in every aspect of the word.
Let’s end on a happier note. Baseball’s spring training is just six weeks away and the Nationals have made a couple of promising acquisitions. Things are looking up.
See? Spring is not too far away. Six weeks from now pitchers and catchers will report and we’ll be thinking about planting potatoes.
Think on the bright side. Winter is about over.
And if we’re not going to get any snow, that’s fine with me.
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Why do you feel the need to call them the “Redskins/Commanders”? Hedging your bets? They are the Commanders so leave it at that please.