Winter gives way to warmer memories
Published 12:00 am Sunday, March 1, 2015
It was a little wild this past week.
The weather decided to give The South a little taste of what it gives the northern parts of our country every winter.
I used to love days like we had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but since I started working for a newspaper they have lost their allure. No longer does it mean that I can stay home from work and enjoy stomping around in the white stuff. Now, I get text messages and phone calls about closures and road conditions late into the night and early in the morning.
This job comes with its benefits, I feel like I have my finger on the pulse of the community and I have pretty wide-open access to most events in town. The down side is, there are no holidays in the newspaper business. When everyone else is off work because of inclement weather or a Monday holiday, we are at work.
It’s a compromise we all make, from the pressmen who print the paper, to the reporters and photographers who gather the news and mailroom personnel who stuff those grocery ads into the newspaper. We all love what we do, but alter our lifestyle a little to accommodate a crazy work schedule.
My son enjoyed two days off from school, while my wife and I trudged off to work in snow, walking barefoot three miles to the office. No, we didn’t really walk, although when I tell the story to our grandkids it might change.
Before this summer, my wife used to enjoy snow days, summer vacation and spring break. She left the Vicksburg Warren School District after 4 years and joined the staff at the newspaper in June. It’s nice having her close by and being able to have morning coffee and lunch together.
Truly, I still love to see the snow falling from the sky and the way it transforms our world into a peaceful wonderland. I grew up in Southern California and I remember it snowing in the Southland twice when I was a youngster, never enough to shovel it though.
I was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs while I was in the Army and got my fair share of winter’s offering. I even shoveled it a few times. Those days I don’t miss.
I’ll enjoy the warming of spring and the new life it brings to our community. Four seasons is something we didn’t have in California. I do love a good thunderstorm too.
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Paul Barry is the managing editor and can be reached by email at paul.barry@vicksburgpost.com or by phone at 601-636-4545 ext. 123