Are We Ever Happy With The Weather?

My locale in SE Michigan (roughly the 42nd parallel) has had a milder than usual winter – at least so far.


September weather was more like November weather should have been – cold, windy, rainy. October wasn’t bad temperature wise and our snowfall this year is way down. I’ve been seeing kids in tee shirts out playing at certain times on some days, and we’re in February right now. There have even been a couple of golf courses that have opened intermittently as the weather allows. Crazy!

It’s been a nice respite from the last three winters, which have been cold and very snowy. We’re joking about not needing to go to Florida this year because we have the same weather (at least maybe for northern Florida).

But there’s a big negative to this, too. Our local ski area, Mt. Brighton, has struggled to keep snow. That’s a lot of extra electricity use for minimal gain. With fewer skiers our local restaurants, gas stations, hotel, and stores are getting less seasonal traffic, too.

I feel really bad for the local landscapers that make winter money by plowing snow. Most of these are getting paid ‘by the push’, and as an REO (foreclosure) listing agent I can tell you that my properties have only needed two (2) pushes so far this winter. That’s two snowfalls of 2 inches or more. And we’re halfway through February.

Of course, there’s good news, too. Local road commissions have been able to do a few extra repairs with the milder weather. They’ve also had reduced crew payrolls and they’re not using as much salt. I believe they probably purchased much of the needed salt up front, so I don’t know what kind of savings they’re seeing.

If I were to answer my own question (in the title of this blog entry), I guess I’d have to say, “Not for very long.”

Preview Properties - Walk For Warmth

Preview Properties has a Community Service Committee that meets to choose various charities for whom we raise money. Every month is a new community group.  Fundraisers vary, but the most popular is either a breakfast or lunch, pot luck style, where agents and staff bring in a dish, then pay to eat!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 25th, the beneficiary is the Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency's (OLHSA) 'Walk For Warmth' campaign. And the food theme is 'Chili Cookoff'.  This is a favorite of mine. Not to brag (too much), but I won the last chili cookoff. 1st out of 9 entries was pretty good for me.  Plus I got to rub it in to an agent buddy that is pretty darned proud of his chili. It's all in good humor and of course, the money raised goes to a great cause.

I'll be making my special 'Sweetwater Chili' recipe today because it is slow cooked for a long time and is even better the next day. No matter how I fare this year, Walk for Warmth will certainly win.

And speaking of that program, Erica Karfonta, Director of OLHSA, will be the guest speaker at this Thursday's Brighton Optimist Club Meeting. Erica is coming to talk to us about that program specifically.  The Optimists do wonderful things for the youth in the County, but they also support a lot of other community service and charitable organizations, too. 

If you're interested, feel free to pop in to the Bauery Restaurant at Mt. Brighton at 7:30 am this Thursday, January 27th. First time visitors get their breakfasts free. The Brighton Optimists have an ambitious roster of activities to complete this year and are always looking for like minded residents to join in and help.

More Local Business Good News

It looks like after many consecutive years of warmer weather and patchy snowfall that the local ski resort, Mt. Brighton, will have a great year! They opened earlier than ever before and are making snow like crazy. A week ago today they had a 16” base on the intermediate hill. Today is the first day that all hills will be open.

Skiers and snow boarders eat at local restaurants, buy gasoline, and often shop at area stores while in town for the slopes. And Brighton has a very strong retail segment between the newer developments at Grand River and Challis and the downtown area.

Many years ago (way before Brighton had ‘grown up’ development-wise), I came out for a day of skiing. I decided to take Grand River all-l-l-l the way back to Detroit. I discovered a small store just east of Brighton called Marv’s Meats. I bought a couple of items and was amazed at the quality compared to my local grocery stores.

After that, I always made sure that I could stop at Marv’s either before or after skiing to pick up some food. I imagine that there are many other winter sports enthusiasts that come to the area and make their own discoveries.

I would have never guessed that one day I’d be living in this area. Between hunting and fishing in Livingston County with my dad and uncle, and visiting Mt. Brighton in the winter with friends, I guess I got hooked!