Snow and smiles

As I’m writing this, it is early April and outside it’s snowing. Well, it’s not just snowing, it is blizzarding – snow is coming down fastly and furiously and the mighty wind is blowing it sideways.

I was pretty surprised when I got up this morning to see that it had snowed overnight, although snow had been in the weather predictions (it’s April, after all). It was snowing lightly still when I arose, and sticking on the ground, and the fog was so bad I couldn’t see the mountains that are right down the way.

The first thing I did was cancel an appointment I had in Lancaster, and then I called my ride to let her know we wouldn’t be venturing out this morning. She was as relieved as I was. For both of us it seemed like a good day to stay in and off the roads.

The snow continued for most of the day and got worse later in the late afternoon (enter the blowing along with the heavier snowing). It was not what I consider normal April weather, but heck, what is normal in Tehachapi anyway? Throughout the day I read stories on Facebook of snowfall over the years in Tehachapi on Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day, and even Father’s Day, some of which I was here for but had managed to forget. Someone suggested that Jon Hammond said there isn’t a month of the year that the Tehachapi area hasn’t gotten snow (over a few decades’ time).

Consequently, I’m a little discombobulated about the weather right now – I’m sooo ready for spring to be here! – and I’m in the mood to lighten up and laugh… or at least chuckle… or maybe even just smile. So, to that end I’m going to share with you some short and sweet funnies I’ve received via email from my friend Karen in Kansas:

I have an inferiority complex, but it’s not a very good one.

I was wondering why the baseball kept getting bigger and bigger, and then it hit me.

Why did the employee get fired from the calendar factory? She took a day off.

Worrying works! Case in point: 90% of the things I worry about never happen.

My teachers told me I’d never amount to much because I procrastinate. I told them, “Just you wait!”

Why do seagulls fly over the sea? If they flew over the bay, they would be bagels.

What do you call a magician who lost his magic? Ian.

I broke my finger last week. On the other hand, I am OK.

I went to the doctor with a suspicious-looking mole. He told me they all look that way and I should have left it in the garden.

Two men are on opposite sides of the river. The first man shouts, “How do I get to the other side of the river?” The other man yells, “You are on the other side of the river!”

Why is a swordfish’s nose 11 inches long? Because if it were 12 inches, it would be a foot.

What state is known for its small drinks? Minnesota.

What do you call a line of men waiting to get haircuts? A barberqueue.

I was going to tell a time-traveling joke, but you didn’t like it.

I can’t take my dog to the pond anymore because the ducks keep attacking him. That’s what I get for buying a pure bread dog.

There, now I’m smiling and not thinking about the snow (thank you, Karen!). And even though I know the snow will all be gone in a day or two and we’ll enjoy some Tehachapi sunshine soon, smiles are always worth having and keeping.

© 2024 Mel Makaw. Mel, local writer/photographer and author of On the Bright Side, a Collection of Columns (available locally at Tehachapi Arts Center and Healthy Hippie Trading Co.), welcomes your comments at [email protected]/.