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| Fast Talk |
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| Written by Ron Swift | |
| Saturday, 26 January 2008 | |
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Snow weather lingers over Patterson — again  Ron Swift / Editor/Publisher Emeritus The weather has been cold. Also wet. And we could have — Snow! Yes, it can and very infrequently does snow in Patterson — not very often, and not for a number of years. In fact, I can’t remember the last time we were thrilled with the falling of flakes. So I consulted the Irrigator’s GM, Carol Scoles. Just like that, Carol was able to give me the exact month — February 1989. She remembers, because she was pregnant with her younger son, Joshua, at the time. And by the way, Josh has never much liked cold weather. I do remember flakes falling late one morning when I was sitting in the barber chair in the late Jim Schimpf’s shop. Someone suddenly shouted, “It’s snowing!” and everyone, including Jim, raced out onto the sidewalk for a better view. I was left in the chair by myself with half a haircut and covered by a white smock. But back in the early 1920s and again in the early ’30s, heavy snowfall was recorded in Patterson. Photos in the local museum show 4 to 6 inches of the white stuff, and the Irrigator recorded that one snowfall stuck on the ground for two or three days. Snow on the hills to Patterson’s west are not so infrequent. And snow up Del Puerto Canyon Road is not at all uncommon to those residing in the canyon. But new residents here on the valley floor should not be surprised to someday experience an inch or two of white in their front yards. It won’t last long, so keep your cameras loaded and handy. Rain, rain, rain About 25 years ago, back in the 1980s, before California entered a period of serious drought, Patterson had a sure predictor of inclement weather. For a span of several years, seemingly every time the local Boy Scouts went camping, rain was sure to fall. It didn’t matter where they went or how long they were gone, rain was sure to dampen the landscape. As Scoutmaster of the troop, I eventually made rain gear mandatory. Twice when we were camping in Big Basin State Park, more than 2 inches of moisture fell between sundown and sunup. On one of those occasions, Scout David Carpenter slept through it all. By morning, he had 2 inches of water in his tent, and his sleeping bag was like a wet sponge. Yet we had to awaken David, who had slept through it all. It got to the point where local farmers were jokingly asking the troop to head out on overnight trips when they wanted water, or to forego campouts when they didn’t want rain. At least I think they were joking. A PROMISE Early this month, I promised to keep readers posted on how I was succeeding with my New Year’s resolution to overcome my longtime trait of procrastination. Sorry, but I’ve been putting off the report. Maybe next week. GET SMART Now, for our educational item of the week. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. You did want to know that, didn’t you? FOR THE SPORTS FAN Bobby Fischer, a chess prodigy in his youth, the world’s youngest grand master of the board game who some proclaim to be the world’s best (certainly the best from the U.S.) at the board game, died this past week. Which brings up the question: Is the game of chess a sport? Well, if poker tournaments are considered a sport, and many think they are, then chess certainly would have to be. Then how about spelling bees? Should they be considered a sport? And the card game of bridge, too? Cribbage tournaments? And then there are the Knights of the Square Table, who each morning roll the dice at Mil’s to determine who pays for the coffee. Does KOST qualify as a sport? Your call. AND FINALLY … In these days of political polling, the latest survey shows that three out of four people make up 75 percent of the population. Remember that.
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