I know some of you have been experiencing severe winter weather the last week or two, particularly in the northeast and midwest, but I can’t escape the feeling it’s going to be a mild winter and an early spring around these parts. The temperature has been normal to mild for the first month of winter, and it’s been uncommonly wet. Today, the tornado sirens are blaring every half hour or so as the latest in a series of warm fronts passes. It’s more like March or April.

As I write this, there’s a tornado warning in effect. I live in a two-story brick house (solid brick!), so the pantry underneath my stairwell is a cozy, indoor storm shelter. An earthquake, however, would be another matter.