If you don't like the weather...

They say if you don’t like the weather in Montana wait 15 minutes.

Well, I’ve been waiting a lot longer than that and it’s still snowing.

Spring lures you outside with balmy breezes and azure skies. The willows bud out, and caddis flies start to hatch on the river. Folks are playing golf in shorts. You can hear the sound of lawnmowers and smell fresh cut grass.

Then the sun slips behind a cloud, the wind picks up and it starts to rain. In 15 minutes the clouds have lowered and it’s snowing.

Winter’s gloom returns, but this time it’s dripping wet, not frozen.

The dogs don’t seem to care. They wander the yard, wading through mud puddles, then stand outside the door barking to be let back in so they can leave tracks from one end of the house to the other. Eventually they’ll settle down in front of the fire, dry out and do it all over again.

But as much as we grouse and complain about the weather, we wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s rare that Montana ever gets too much moisture. There always seems to be a drought lurking just around the corner.

We worry there won’t be enough water in the rivers, the crops in the fields will wither and die, and come summer, the forests will burn.

We seldom worry about floods. Not even in Miles City where this latest storm dumped more rain in 24 hours than ever before.

We’re more concerned about the mud which makes off-pavement travel nearly impossible. So while many of us would be happy to fish in the rain, we simply can’t reach the water for the mud. Those that do venture off the paved roads leave a trail of gumbo figurines for a quarter mile down the highway upon their return.

So here I sit, staring out the window, wishing the clouds would vanish and the sun would return.

I want to go fishing. I don’t want to mop the floor only to watch the dogs track in more mud. I fear I’m going to appear on a Swiffer commercial.

While I always readily agree with anyone who says “we can sure use the moisture,” I’m not always 100 percent sincere in my reply.

Especially in the spring when precipitation puts the kibosh on any outdoor plans.

So I half-heartedly embrace that old refrain “ if you don’t like the weather just wait 15 minutes.”

And I’m still waiting.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]