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MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 08:21 PM Apr 2013

It has been a tough, long winter in

Minnesota and most of the upper Midwest. I have heard many people say that they thought it would never end, and that spring would not arrive. I told them that it certainly would and to stay hopeful. Well, it arrived today. But, now, the same people are complaining about mud.

It is sad that some cannot celebrate anything.

It is far too common, and in many areas. Hope is the anticipation of what is to come. When signs of it appear, celebrate.

60 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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It has been a tough, long winter in (Original Post) MineralMan Apr 2013 OP
I am not complaining about the mud. I love the mud. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #1
Yes! MineralMan Apr 2013 #3
Complaing about people complaing about the weather in Minnesota? Bluenorthwest Apr 2013 #2
No, not really, MineralMan Apr 2013 #4
Well, everyone has to complain about something! Lol! sabrina 1 Apr 2013 #32
Complaining about mud = ? Electric Monk Apr 2013 #5
Yes. Flooding is different. MineralMan Apr 2013 #6
People who don't live where the ground freezes 48 inches deep don't get spring's mud time HereSince1628 Apr 2013 #7
my friends in Door County were bemoaning lack of spring this year... CTyankee Apr 2013 #17
Yup we had spring two days ago and already...summer. kickysnana Apr 2013 #8
More "homespun" (TM) wisdom. Bonobo Apr 2013 #9
No shit. woo me with science Apr 2013 #10
That guy should look on the bright side. Bonobo Apr 2013 #11
Jeez, can't we just express pleasure over the arrival of spring The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #12
I agree. HappyMe Apr 2013 #14
That poster's complaint wasn't about the weather, I think. MineralMan Apr 2013 #16
Clearly not. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #18
Ah, those dullards... woo me with science Apr 2013 #23
Again --- The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #25
Gratuitous lecturing, with or without (*cough*) politics... woo me with science Apr 2013 #33
Gratuitous crapping on a benign thread. HappyMe Apr 2013 #39
Think of it what you will, but there's definitely a subtext DisgustipatedinCA Apr 2013 #50
No, actually, there isn't. MineralMan Apr 2013 #55
It's possible to *imagine* a subtext to anything. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #56
Change makes me happy. randome Apr 2013 #13
Yup. Me, too. MineralMan Apr 2013 #15
Passive-aggressive. The Link Apr 2013 #19
Winter is passive-aggressive? I thought it was just MineralMan Apr 2013 #20
It must suck to be around you IRL. The Link Apr 2013 #22
You'd have to get to know me, and MineralMan Apr 2013 #24
There are people who complain every day, all day long, about everything. Quantess Apr 2013 #21
There's never a shortage of things to complain about, MineralMan Apr 2013 #27
I wasn't raised to complain all day long. Quantess Apr 2013 #36
And that would include those who complain The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #28
I know. I am already fully aware of the "complaining about complaining" aspect. Quantess Apr 2013 #34
I think there are some people who aren't happy unless they are unhappy The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #35
I am working on getting out of this situation. Quantess Apr 2013 #37
That's a tough situation to be in. MineralMan Apr 2013 #46
K&R Brimley Apr 2013 #26
Oh, I'm sure you're right about that. MineralMan Apr 2013 #29
Spring has sprung. ananda Apr 2013 #30
A song for this thread Yavin4 Apr 2013 #31
Many can't celebrate anything because they suffer from depression cali Apr 2013 #38
And I hope anyone with depression can get treatment The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #40
for a lot of people it is not treatable cali Apr 2013 #45
I realize that it is a complex condition with many causes The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #49
Yep, and don't I know it! Quantess Apr 2013 #51
Or... Quantess Apr 2013 #41
I hope you are making HappyMe Apr 2013 #42
Thanks. It's not easy sometimes. Quantess Apr 2013 #48
That's true, but with proper treatment, most people MineralMan Apr 2013 #43
It seems like many of the 'depressive' posters on this thread... randome Apr 2013 #44
It was a quiet week in Lake Wobegone bigtree Apr 2013 #47
It's funny. My wife and I went to see a taping of his show MineralMan Apr 2013 #53
Is Spring really late this year, or has it been earlier than normal in recent hedgehog Apr 2013 #52
Seems late to me. But I've only lived in Minnesota since MineralMan Apr 2013 #54
It's late by any measure. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2013 #57
That last snow, I refused to do any snow removal, MineralMan Apr 2013 #60
I never complain about winter weather. RebelOne Apr 2013 #58
In Minnesota, we have two seasons as well: MineralMan Apr 2013 #59

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
1. I am not complaining about the mud. I love the mud.
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 08:33 PM
Apr 2013

I love it that three days after we got 4" of snow it's 71 degrees. My windows are open; I was driving around with my car windows and sun roof open, and I'm wearing flipflops. I bought a bougainvillea for the porch, hosed the dirt and mud off my deck and tomorrow the lawn chairs come out. I got the screens out of the garage. And I'll sit on the deck and drink some wine while wearing a t-shirt and shorts and flipflops.

It's finally spring and I'm very, very happy.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
3. Yes!
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 08:36 PM
Apr 2013

Tomorrow, I am firing up the lawnmower and mulching all the peanut shells left on the lawn by the sqirrels we feed. Good times!

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
6. Yes. Flooding is different.
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 08:44 PM
Apr 2013

But, Fargo residents and many others are piling sandbags, and are hopeful they will prevent damage. Their optimism is heartening. Looks like they will succeed, too.

HereSince1628

(36,063 posts)
7. People who don't live where the ground freezes 48 inches deep don't get spring's mud time
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 08:48 PM
Apr 2013

Arrived here in WI about 10-12 days ago, is passing quickly as rain is helping deepen the thaw and the water now has an opportunity to soak in

CTyankee

(63,768 posts)
17. my friends in Door County were bemoaning lack of spring this year...
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 09:51 AM
Apr 2013

I am hopeful that they are feeling lots better now...

kickysnana

(3,908 posts)
8. Yup we had spring two days ago and already...summer.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 04:15 AM
Apr 2013

I really loved those two 60 degree days after all the snow and cold.

Luckily they have cleared all the housing out of the Levee and Lillydale so St Paulites never have to worry about floods. However, there are areas that could flood above all records and that is something to be concerned about ie Grand Forks, Fargo, etc. It is better to get the word out early so folks can come help with the sandbags. Although flooding still depends a lot on the near future rain patterns.

I have cousins who farm in the SW part of the state and things got tough last year and they were hoping for a better year this year. They tell me they kind of take turns going out into the fields in the spring until someone is successful, when they don't have to call for a couple more tractors to pull them out of the muddy field they are mired in. Planting late decreases yields and puts smaller plants in the way of hail and wind storms. If they fail, the factory and absent farmers move in. Not at all good for the rest of us.

Bonobo

(29,257 posts)
9. More "homespun" (TM) wisdom.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 04:20 AM
Apr 2013

I feel like I just saw a Wilford Brimley commercial.

I find it sad that people cannot see beyond their own self-satisfaction to appreciate the fact that for some people mud is what you have to wipe off your $150 hiking boots and for some people it is what you eat.

woo me with science

(32,139 posts)
10. No shit.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 04:35 AM
Apr 2013

Lots and lots of Third Way pontification and lectures on display tonight.





Keep talking, Third Way. Keep showing America what you really think...

Bonobo

(29,257 posts)
11. That guy should look on the bright side.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 04:37 AM
Apr 2013

Fresh air and the stars are his chandelier!

And he can move anywhere easily!

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
12. Jeez, can't we just express pleasure over the arrival of spring
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 09:38 AM
Apr 2013

without getting a lecture about some presumed elitist attitude about mud and expensive hiking boots, which I didn't notice anywhere in the OP?

We had a shitty winter. We are glad it's over. I'm not sure why noting that fact is worthy of snark.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
16. That poster's complaint wasn't about the weather, I think.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 09:51 AM
Apr 2013

In fact, I'm almost sure of it.

Anyhow, today's a beautiful spring day. More to come.

woo me with science

(32,139 posts)
23. Ah, those dullards...
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:04 AM
Apr 2013

who fail to appreciate gratuitous lecturing of others as just part of "pleasure over the arrival of spring."

Keep talking, Third Way. America is listening...

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
25. Again ---
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:09 AM
Apr 2013

Why are you trying to turn this into political commentary? I saw nothing in the OP other than an expression of pleasure that a long, crappy winter is finally over, along with mild surprise that after all that snow now a few people are complaining about the mud. Since I live in the same area, I understand exactly what the OP is saying. And it's pretty straightforward: Spring is here, let's enjoy it.

There is no subtext! Don't try to find one to suit your agenda, whatever that is, where none exists.

 

DisgustipatedinCA

(12,530 posts)
50. Think of it what you will, but there's definitely a subtext
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 11:50 AM
Apr 2013

It's not difficult to see; nothing esoteric about it.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
55. No, actually, there isn't.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 01:22 PM
Apr 2013

Maybe you're looking at it through cloudy eyes. Sometimes, things are simply what they are. If you bring something to your reading of a post, that's not the poster's issue, really. But, it's not really all that important. It's just a thread about winter and pessimism. If you want to expand it to include other stuff, be my guest.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
56. It's possible to *imagine* a subtext to anything.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 01:39 PM
Apr 2013

Hell, one could find a subtext reading the phone book (if you can find a phone book). "Aha! Lots of people named Smith! Why is that, do you suppose? Just evidence of western European hegemony in American cities, I'll bet! Fascists!"

If you want to conjure up a subtext to this rather innocuous observation about the coming of spring and people's reaction to it, feel free. But it seems to me that there are plenty of bigger fish to fry on DU - unless there's an axe you feel needs grinding relative to this poster.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
15. Yup. Me, too.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 09:47 AM
Apr 2013

By next October, I'll be looking forward to the first snow, tuning up my snowblower, and getting out my snow shovels. Change will always come, whether we hope for it or not. Like many things, we can't really do anything about the weather, but we can make the best of it, not the worst.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
24. You'd have to get to know me, and
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:05 AM
Apr 2013

that's probably not in the cards. But, thanks for the reply and the kick.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
21. There are people who complain every day, all day long, about everything.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:02 AM
Apr 2013

It's as if they don't know how to do anything but complain! They really know how to drain all the joy out of life.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
27. There's never a shortage of things to complain about,
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:10 AM
Apr 2013

but there's also never a shortage of things to celebrate, in most cases. For a few people, of course, their lives are horrible, and they have every right to complain. For most of us, though, that's not the case.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
36. I wasn't raised to complain all day long.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:24 AM
Apr 2013

I was taught to try to be pleasant. It's kinder to other people to talk about other things than just complining, I think. It's also really boring to be around a person who complains all the time.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
34. I know. I am already fully aware of the "complaining about complaining" aspect.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:20 AM
Apr 2013

That's really witty.

Please don't try to dismiss what I am saying, because I am at wit's end with a person who literrally complains all day about everything. It fucking drives me to despair. Threre really are people who don't know how to do anything but complain.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
35. I think there are some people who aren't happy unless they are unhappy
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:23 AM
Apr 2013

and are able to spread their unhappiness to those around them. These people are toxic and should be avoided, if possible. I'm sorry you are having to deal with someone like that. They're like Harry Potter's Dementors; they suck all the joy out of their surroundings.

Be happy; it will drive them nuts.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
46. That's a tough situation to be in.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 11:21 AM
Apr 2013

I hope you can find a way to be around people who have a more positive outlook, somehow. That could help.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
29. Oh, I'm sure you're right about that.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:12 AM
Apr 2013

A few people I know, though, simply cannot help themselves. No matter how good things are, they search until they find something to complain about. I try not to hang around them too much. It might be contagious.

ananda

(28,781 posts)
30. Spring has sprung.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:13 AM
Apr 2013

Hurray! I'm hoping for a great, long hot summer too... with rain.

I really hope I see some butterflies and bees this year. I can
hear the birds chirping right now, and the grass looks so much
greener than usual. I love the green.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
40. And I hope anyone with depression can get treatment
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:28 AM
Apr 2013

because it is a treatable condition.

There are other people, though, who aren't depressed; they're just grumps who like to rain on other people's parades.

 

cali

(114,904 posts)
45. for a lot of people it is not treatable
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 11:15 AM
Apr 2013

I wish the myth that depression is universally treatable would die.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
49. I realize that it is a complex condition with many causes
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 11:47 AM
Apr 2013

and many levels of severity. But many people can at least be helped, and I hope the various treatment options improve. I know it's a bad affliction - I know people who suffer from it and I am not trying to make light of it. The point of the OP, though, was that some people just complain, not because they are depressed, but just because they are in the habit of complaining. A whole different situation, obviously.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
41. Or...
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:39 AM
Apr 2013

people like me who have a tendency toward depression have learned coping strategies such as trying to see the positive, remebering things that we are thankful for, having pleasant conversations with others, smiling at kids and playing with puppies.

People who complain all day long are really depressing to be around. I need to stay away from people like that.

HappyMe

(20,277 posts)
42. I hope you are making
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 10:43 AM
Apr 2013

headway in your fight against depression. It can be hard to dig yourself out.

I wish you peace and happiness.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
48. Thanks. It's not easy sometimes.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 11:34 AM
Apr 2013

A lot of it has to do with maintaining a good attitude. I think to myself about this person in my life who does nothing but complain, that I would have killed myself long ago if I were like that, if I did not know how to do anything but complain. What kind of a shitty existence is that? Maybe she wants to drag other people down? If so, it often works. I've gotten better at fighting off a negative attitude, but a person like that makes it tough.

I'm the opposite. I'd much rather make someone else feel better from an interaction than feel worse. I don't need to bring people down if I'm feeling low, or attack people who may be better off than I am, prettier, luckier, has nicer things, or whatever. I don't want to be THAT person.

One really helpful thing for me, something I read a couple of years ago, is to be thankful for challenges in life because they make you a better person. Maybe it's BS, but I have to believe it if I want to keep wanting to live another day. It's like that asian (Chinese maybe?) word that crisis and opportunity are the same word. Instead of whining and feeling miserable, the idea is to be thankful for whatever you have, and to work on changing or improving things instead of complaining. It was all in some book I read about 4 years ago, and it does help my attitude. I am still be as cynical as hell and sometimes I think everything is rotten, but even so, I try to appreciate whatever there is to appreciate. I have to if I want to keep going.

Peace and happiness to you as well!

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
43. That's true, but with proper treatment, most people
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 11:02 AM
Apr 2013

with depression can get some relief from it. I'm not talking about people with illnesses, frankly. That's a different situation altogether. Same with people who are mourning a loss. I'm talking about people who have no such reason.

 

randome

(34,845 posts)
44. It seems like many of the 'depressive' posters on this thread...
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 11:14 AM
Apr 2013

...are those who may be 'disappointed' that the Marathon Bombing did not lead to a rout of the Establishment, despite their best efforts to turn it that way.

Disappointment can lead to resentment, which can lead to pessimism.

The Establishment can certainly use some tearing down once in a while but this was the wrong event on which to hitch their horses.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
53. It's funny. My wife and I went to see a taping of his show
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 01:15 PM
Apr 2013

when we were in California, but haven't seen him since we moved here to MN. Odd. I've seen Garrison a couple of times around town, though.

hedgehog

(36,286 posts)
52. Is Spring really late this year, or has it been earlier than normal in recent
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 12:14 PM
Apr 2013

years, and we all forgot what normal is?

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,267 posts)
57. It's late by any measure.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 01:41 PM
Apr 2013

This winter wasn't especially cold (I remember much, much colder ones during the '70s), but it's unusual to have so much snow so far into April.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
60. That last snow, I refused to do any snow removal,
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 02:53 PM
Apr 2013

except for the city sidewalk in front of my house. I always clear that for the walkers. I just let the rest melt on its own, and it was all gone by that night. I wasn't alone. I think most of the people on my block made the same decision.

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)
58. I never complain about winter weather.
Sat Apr 27, 2013, 02:23 PM
Apr 2013

I lived in South Florida most of my life and would love it when there was some cooler weather because I hated the heat. Now I live in North Georgia just outside of Atlanta and am so happy because I am in an environment that has seasons. The only seasons in South Florida are spring and summer.

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