Winter continues to take its toll

March 20 is a date that many are looking forward to arriving. It is the first day of Spring and the official end of Winter.

For many, it can't arrive soon enough.

The winter has been more difficult than recent years. Early snow, heavy snow, Arctic winds and temperatures, rain, freezing rain, fog and ice -- you name it, we have experienced it this winter. Road crews, snow removal equipment and budgets have been stretched to -- and in some cases beyond -- the breaking point.

Last week, we experienced heavy freezing rain, which opened an entirely new avenue of misery and expense. Power outages were experienced in many places in Iowa, including Plymouth County. Fortunately, the outages here were quickly repaired. To the south and east of us, there are people still waiting to get the lights back on and warm their homes.

We take far too much for granted in life, and electric service has become so reliable that many of us feel it is like the air we breathe -- always there for us to use and enjoy.

The harsh reality is that when the weather becomes extreme, the network of wires will fail when pushed beyond their extensive limits. That's when the repairmen push themselves relentlessly to get service safely re-established.

There's a kind of beauty to the response. When one area is hit hard, repairmen from other areas come to help. Rather old-fashioned, but quite nice and very comforting.

As we slog our way through the remainder of the winter, we all will do our best to keep a positive outlook and sidewalks and driveways as clear as possible. We truly are all in this together, so whenever possible, help your neighbors and try to keep the snow in your yard.

When the final tally is taken of the financial toll of this winter, we imagine it will be just as impressive as the snowfall totals. But, just like the snow needs to be removed, the bills will need to be paid.

Let's hope that the joy of springtime will help blunt the sticker shock of the winter.