A few short years ago, I spent many a winter's day shoveling snow. It might have been 2-4 inches, 6-8 inches or 12-14 inches. But often I'd be looking at two snowstorms a week. There was a constant and significant layer of snow on the ground from late December through late March. It was something that a lot of the plants in New Hampshire needed. The snow insulated the roots and kept them from waking up in the rare days that sprang into the 40s.

For the past couple of years, temperatures in the 40s aren't unusual, even in January and February. As we enter the final week of February, we're expecting a 60 degree day this week. That is just insane.

Don't get me wrong. I hate snow. I don't know why I live in New England. But it seems pretty evident that climate change is having a big effect on the weather here. Could it be a fluke? Of course. But I don't think it is. The government has even changed the category of this area's growing zone. We are officially warmer than we used to be.

The warmer weather is killing a lot of the native plants. As a landscaper, I don't even bother planting needle evergreens anymore. They're all dying.

I'm not saying anything that people who pay attention to science don't already know, but I am banging my head against the wall because there are so many people in this country, and indeed the world, who don't get it. As they say, there is no Planet B. I shudder to think what this world is going to be like in 15 years, let alone 60.

Tags:climate change, no snow

Holy cow, what a summer. It's either pouring rain or drenching heat and humidity. For a fellow who works outside, it's been god awful. But, as they say, it's going to be one of the coolest summers for the rest of my life.

Tags:weather