Y'all knoẇ that I reside in Alexandria, Virginia.  Which means that today is very special day.  We will bear celebrating the 291st George Washington Birthday, with a big parade in the afternoon, and honoring the 100th anniversary of the Goerge Washington Masonic National Memorial (erected on the Virginia side of the Mason-Dixon demarcations [delineating that Alexandria and what was then Alexandria County (Now Arlington County) were actually, Alexandria, D.C.]

Here’s a more personal observation on the effects of climate change.  And, I’ll bet even the climate deniers (if they actually think about things and just don’t spew) will recognize that is becoming more and more universal.

When I was a young man, I departed Metropolitan New York to reside in the Boston-Cambridge area.  And, I should let you know that I really enjoy the colder weather; I generally wear shorts all year (here in Virginia)- when I resided in Massachusetts and Michigan, I wore long pants, but never donned a coat.  Even though I rode my bicycle almost every day of the year.  (Until my illness over the past few years, I continued to ride my bike every day [and swim Monday to Friday- I am hoping those routines will become the norm again soon.].)

I admit to have been dismayed when a rather large snowfall (4 feet) blanketed the streets of Greater Boston, while I was living there.  I had expected New Englanders to be able to clear that snow with alacrity.  It took about a week.  But, otherwise, snow in the winter (as well as ice) was the norm.  While in Ann Arbor, one of the jokes is that snow arrived in November and melted in March.  That’s the way it was in the 1960s and 1970s.

But, now?

A temperature of 62 F in February?  REALLY?

Or, that ski resorts and ice skating rinks are not open in January- and often not at all during the “winter” months.  I’ve even heard that maple syrup is being harvested a month or two early due to the climate change.  (Harvesting usually began in later March.)  Tree and flower choices now have to be altered, since the climate no longer supports the flora selections of old.

This also means that allergy season is now greatly extended.  And the scourge of the season- the tick population- has been given a boost.

But, it’s not just New England.

Back when I was running a dialysis business, we expanded our production and sales to Canada.  So, I became intimately familiar with Toronto (and Mississagua, where we had our production facility) , as well as British Columbia.  Not to mention the capital of Canada- Ottawa.

I loved walking around Ottawa.  It reminded me of my times in Britain.

And, I loved watching (Ok, I actually skated on it once) the Rideau Canal Skateway.   That happens to be the largest natural skating rink in the world.  It opened to the public in 1971 and is about 8 km long (part of the 126 mile canal).  Normally, it’s “functional” (i.e., frozen over) from January to March.  This year looks like the first one that it will remain closed in some 50 years of operation.   (It takes someplace between 10 days and two weeks of temperatures below 14 F and above -4 F (more logically -20 to -10 C).

But, I’m not Canadian- and certainly not from Ottawa.  Folks there are lamenting that the “symbol of their city”, the “place of freedom and fresh air” is disappearing.

That’s how climate change is becoming personal.

(Of course, if you live in Norfolk, Virginia, the flooded streets remind you that our ice pack is melting and causing the sea level to rise. In other words, there are demonstrations of climate change everywhere- if we open our eyes.)