It's coming!

You can see the signs - leaves falling off of trees, the breeze making the temperature a bit nippier than we are all used to - high temperatures that were just a few weeks ago the low temperatures - winter is coming!

Now for many of you, you have heard that there is supposed to be 4 seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall (or Autumn, depending on your choice), and winter.  But many of us live in areas where there is only 2 seasons every year - winter & construction.

Now construction is an interesting season.  The signs of construction seasoin are many - orangeish trees (sometimes called "pylons") grou up out of the ground - usually right in the middle of the road.  And then these unusual billboards appear - with advertizing like "Road Closed" or "Left Lane Closed Ahead".  Then the traffic seems to slow to a crawl thru these forests of pylon trees, causing massive delays, and inflamed tempers.   And finally there are the spirits that appear throughout the season - they are called "Flagmen" or Flagwomen"  (I haven't heard of a flag person yet, but??).  

Usually Construction starts in late April or early May, usually around the potholes or damaged roads that appear during Winter.  And it lasts until October or November - just in time for Winter to appear and create new potholes throughout the land.   A self-perpetuating cycle that never seems to end!

In actuality, we here in SD have figured out why there is so much road construction - during the warm months, they need warehouse space to store harvested food, crated products, and shipments of parts & materials we need to survive.  So they empty the warehoused of the pylons, cones, & signs - and just keep moving them from place to place.  This way they don't have to tie up storage space with them, and can use it for more important things.

Now on to the focus of this - it's coming!  Winter!  That time of year where we get a dollop of snow on the ground, which causes (on the average) over 250 accidents, thousands of stuck vehicles, and other sundry things.  I feel that Winter is a conspiracy of the body shops and tow truck companies!

But I do love South Dakota!  With the varing weather, beautiful country, and wonderful people, it's a great place to live.  Now for us native South Dakotans, we all understand a South Dakota year, with all the seasons & weather that it entails.  For those of you who aren't familiar with SD, let me explain Why I Love South Dakota -

When it's springtime in South Dakota,
And the gentle breezes blow,
About seventy miles an hour
And it's fifty-two below.
You can tell you're in South Dakota
'cause the snow's up to your butt,
And you take a breath of springtime air
And your nose holes both freeze shut.
The weather here is wonderful,
So I guess I'll hang around,
I could never leave South Dakota.
My feet are frozen to the ground!