Snow flurries in forecast

Snow flurries are part of this morning’s forecast. Snow flurries! I know about snow flurries! I was part of the famous blizzard of 1958 in Oswego, New York. I was a student at what was then known as Oswego State Teachers’ College with its colors of green and gold. Now it’s part of the SUNY (State of New York) university system. But back then, it was plain old (lovable) Oswego.

I was a freshman in 1958 and the ‘lake effect” snow started piling up on December 7th. It snowed for five days, we received six feet! Or, as the song, written by choirmaster Maurice Boyd wrote:

“Oswego! is noted for its snow (snow, snow, snow, snow, snow, snow, snow.)
You hear it! wherever you go.
On December 7th in ’58 it began to snow at a terrific rate.
It snowed so hard it was hard to appreciate!”

Somehow tall snowbanks were made to allow paths for walking. The next day, December 8th was a holyday for Catholics and I remember a long, long line of students walking into town to church that morning.

Classes were canceled and it was during that week that I learned to play bridge. We played game after game long into the night.

Oswego was (and is) located on the banks of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. When it snowed there, it always snowed SIDEWAYS. It was a strange site to look out the window with the wintery blasts of air moving everything horizontally instead of vertically.

Snow piled up to second story windows, and was everywhere! I thought it was beautiful. I still think snow is beautiful. I’m ready for those flurries!

For a taste of your own of that event, go online and google Oswego blizzard etc. In fact, I think you can catch a bit of that song, too! This will keep you busy instead of getting out your calculator to figure out how old I must be, having been a freshman in 1958 . . . bye for now! checking on where last year’s snow shovel might be–!