Now that I’m no longer housebound by the weather, I’ve been getting out a bit and hearing one four-letter word on everyone’s lips: snow.

We had a historic storm blow in over us late Sunday and all day Monday. Nineteen inches of it fell, just a fraction of an inch short of the all-time recorded measurement.

But allow me these two quick observations as we (hopefully) are heading into spring and awaiting all the uncertainty that season brings to the High Plains.

* The snowfall did little to alleviate the drought over the long term. Weather experts suggest we need a lot more moisture over a long period of time to get ourselves out of drought conditions. I did hear the National Weather Service chief meteorologist for the region, Jose Garcia, say that the moisture has lessened the fire danger over the short term and it likely will keep the soil moist for a good while. The drought, though, persists. Given that my wife and I do enjoy stormy weather, I am hoping at this moment that spring, which is just three weeks away, will deliver some heavy rainfall … and even some thunder and lightning.

* Amarillo snowplow crews employ an odd method of clearing the snow. I drove down Arden Road this morning en route to a lunch appointment downtown. The street was clear and dry, with snow plowed into a median in the middle of the street. When I returned home after lunch I watched the trucks knocking the snow median down on Arden, spreading it all over the street. The immediate result created slushy – and slippery – street conditions. Then it dawned on me: The crews were knocking the snow piles down to allow it to melt more quickly on the pavement. I just hope the snow melts before the temperature drops below freezing tonight, creating even more hazardous driving conditions once the sun sets. Those folks do know what they’re doing, yes?

We talk often in the Panhandle about the weather, about how it changes quickly. I’ve heard more than one person say in the past two days how they wish summer would arrive.

My answer to all those pleas: Settle down. My mid-August, you’ll be crying the blues over the heat and hoping that the cold weather arrives in a hurry.

Live in the moment. Or, as my mom told me often: Don’t wish your life away.