Recent Articles
- Classism: How We Talk about Earnings
- Do you want Foreign Nuclear Waste in TN?
- Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate expands to Tennessee and Kentucky
- Govs set for third annual Glenn Wilkes Classic
- Tanner: Senate Action Is Step Toward Fort Campbell, Montgomery Co. VA Investments
- Humdrum Season Paves the Way
- Gifts Teachers Really Want for the Holidays
- Radio Talk Show Hosts vs. Common Sense: The Lost Article “Left vs. Right”
- Clarksville Foxes holding sign-ups on November 21st
- 9th Branch Now Open for Fort Campbell Federal Credit Union
- APSU Volleyball: Champine named OVC “Player of the Year,” three receive All-OVC recognition
- Christmas on the Cumberland opens November 24th
- BusinessWeek singles out Clarksville TN as best city in Tennessee to raise kids
- Tanner meets with top NATO leaders
- Women’s Basketball: Herring’s 23 leads Lady Govs past Lipscomb
Official Sites
- City of Clarksville, TN
- Clarksville Department of Electricity
- Clarksville Gas and Water Department
- Clarksville Montgomery County School System
- Clarksville Police Department
- Clarksville, Montgomery County Economic Development Council
- Clarksville, TN Ordinances
- Fort Campbell, Ky
- Montgomery County, Tennessee
- Montgomery County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office
- Parks after Dark
Late season snow delights youngsters, slows travel
The dark purple of a pansy against the snow.
What a difference a day makes! On Tuesday the region basked in 80 degrees of summer-like warmth and sunshine. Barbecue grills were dragged out and fired up, just as area residents hustled to find “cool” clothing to don for this brief taste of seasons yet to come.
Adhering to the adages of the weatherwise, if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.
So it is that northern Middle Tennessee saw temperature drop by 50 degrees, viewed a sky of thickening clouds, and watched in awe as winter took what may be its last punch of the 2008-09 season.
Snow. Sleet. Freezing rain. Salt brine and sanding trucks, even a snow plow on Fort Campbell Boulevard. The snow line moved south over the course of the day, arriving in lower Clarksville in mid-afternoon, some time after north Clarksville was already eyeing light accumulation.
In New England, this kind of snowfall is “sugar snow,” a late season wet snowfall that comes even as the springtime rush of sap is surging through the sugar maples, sap that is gathered in buckets, pouring into wood-fired arches to boil — 40 gallons of sap makes a gallon of syrup in a 24/7 marathon that only works in late winter on the cusp of spring, when days are warm and nights are cold. Light golden Grade A syrup is considered the finest, with the dark amber B (or less) syrup as the “end of season fare (I actually like the darker richer taste of the Grade B). Today’s snow was a light coating of “sugar snow.”
I miss New England, and this snowfall was a gift of sorts. Being out in it was, for me, a treat.
Snow-covered bridge at Billy Dunlop Park
The National Weather Service gave the region ample notice. Though it was a bit later getting her, once it started, the winter storm revved up quickly, piling over an inch of snow (of the wet snowman-making kind) across downtown, somewhat more toward the Kentucky border.
A spider web on the bridge at Billy Dunlop Park
Having already transitioned my closet from winter-ready to summer-anticipation, I rummaged hastily for something “warmer” to wear, something to layer as I prepared for a photographic circuit of Clarksville.
Even as the storm was shifting between snow, sleet and freezing rain, and winding down from the west, Clarksville Online captured images of a wonderland that will be gone with tomorrow’s predicted 45 degree high.
On the cusp between winter and tornado season,
About Christine Anne Piesyk 
In my 40+ years in media, I have worked as feature writer, investigative reporter, editor, publisher, and film/theater/arts critic. I brought my liberal New England activism to Tennessee several years ago, having finally completed a mid-life undergraduate degree in community organizing and women's studies, and an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a concentration in Alzheimer's Disease. I served on Future Search Commissions for two colleges and on homelessness for the City of Northampton (MA), where I applied some of my undergrad work in urban planning and community development. I am a member of FreeThinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties. I am a certified storm spotter just because weather fascinates me. In my spare time (define spare time please?) I am a voracious reader, obsessive movie buff, ballroom dancer, and classical music junkie. I also create sci-fi/fantasy and renaissance costumes. I see life as an ongoing opportunity for learning and adventure (one current interest is mastering preparation of foods from India and Southeast Asia). My dream: a return trip to Machu Picchu. After all, the best things still to come. All posts by Christine Anne Piesyk as presented on Clarksville Online are copyright ©2006, 2007, 2008 to the author.
Email: womanspeak@gmail.com
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.