Nine Catastrophes Worse Than Snow: #7

7. Flooding 

Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As with droughts and dust storms, flooding is usually easy to predict.  There are some areas of New York where flooding is a concern, especially during heavy rainstorms or winter thaws, but it's not a huge issue for most of the Finger Lakes region.  It's pretty rare in New York for homes to be completely washed away or destroyed due to flooding.  Yet every year in the spring we see news reports of people in other areas of the country being rescued from roofs and trees, or being washed away or drowning during flash floods.  I think I'd rather shovel my driveway every day for a year than require being airlifted off the roof of a barn.

~Sarah Jane

Nine Catastrophes Worse Than Snow: #8

8. Dust Storms

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A side effect of drought and poor farming practices, dust storms seem like they'd be rather unpleasant to experience.  Reports of respiratory illnesses, dirt coming into houses through invisible crevices, and what appears to be whiteout-like driving conditions (do you call them brownouts?) are all reasons I'd like to avoid this sort of situation.  And let's not forget an aspect of dust storms that has affected all high school students in the US: being forced to read John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, which was a fictionalized portrayal of the Dust Bowl and the effect of dust storms on it's inhabitants during the 1930s.

~Sarah Jane

Nine Catastrophes Worse Than Snow: #9

9. Drought

Image courtesy of Stoonn  / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Growing up in an agricultural environment, I learned early on that drought can be devastating.  Even in New York, it can destroys farmers' livelihoods and drive up food prices.  

But in some parts of our country it can be a much more serious situation.  Besides harming farmers, it increases the risk of fires and can even cause health problems when wind whips dust and dirt into the air to be inhaled.  Less dangerous, but still problematic, it can result in communities putting uncomfortable restrictions on water use, even for bathing or washing clothes.  So while there is no reason for anyone to die due to drought, having your well run dry and not being allowed to wash your clothes is not something I would seek out to avoid a bit of snow.

~Sarah Jane

Nine Catastrophes Worse Than Snow: Introduction

Probably the biggest detraction from visiting the Finger Lakes in the winter (or deciding to reside here permanently) is snow.  Between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, our region receives a significant  amount of lake effect snow, which might seem intimidating but is really quite tolerable considering the extreme weather and natural events that are inflicted upon other areas of the United States.  

Probably considered a major disaster by someone living south of 
Pennsylvania, this wouldn't even make most CNYers late for work.

I can't say that I especially love snow, but I don't find it nearly as horrific as the media would like everyone to believe.  I know it's a disaster when it occurs in some parts of the country, but snow in central New York is no big deal.  Our plow guys know how to get it off the roads, our roofs are purposely built to handle the weight, and, because traffic doesn't stop completely at the first snowflake, we can pretty much go about our normal daily lives without too much inconvenience.

Besides having to brush off your car if you don't have a garage and the need for appropriate winter apparel (who doesn't love a good pea coat?), snow really isn't a big concern in the Finger Lakes.  We are given days to prepare if there happens to be a bigger storm coming our way.  Preparations pretty much consist of buying some canned soup and making sure you have a blanket and a book to read if your driveway isn't the first to get plowed out.  If you really like to be prepared, you might have a kerosene heater or a generator in case the power goes out.  I know the kerosene heater came in handy both times the power went out at my house due to inclement weather over the last 31 years.  In the end, as long as you have food, water, and a heat source, losing electricity probably won't kill you.  After all, having to spend a day or two at home isn't the end of the world. 

To help those who find snow to be a compelling reason to avoid the Finger Lakes, I will be spending the next nine days presenting my case for why Finger Lakes weather is significantly less threatening than what many other areas of the country consider normal. Always a fan of lists, here are my Top Nine Catastrophes Worse Than Snow.

~Sarah Jane

Autumn, FLX Style

I think one of my favorite things about living in the Finger Lakes is having four seasons, all of which have something to celebrate.  But fall is my favorite season, probably because I love Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I also have a fondness for pumpkin pie, harvest spice Yankee Candles, and pumpkin chai from Dunkin Donuts.  Mostly though, it's because the fall leaves are so fabulous here.  I love driving along the lake, looking across, and seeing reds and yellows and oranges on the other side.  It's gorgeous!

 

Owasco Lake, October 2008

If the foliage in the Finger Lakes isn't sufficient, you also have the option of taking a short road trip to the Adirondacks.  It's such a popular destination in the fall that our local meteorologists discuss the levels of fall foliage every night on the evening news and give you the locations that are currently in "peak week".  You can even take a ride on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.  The Halloween trip, where passengers are encouraged to wear costumes, is fabulous.

All in all, autumn is a wonderful time to be in the Finger Lakes!

~Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane Defines the Finger Lakes Region

I think that there are so many different ideas about what constitutes the Finger Lakes region that I need to clarify my usage of the term.  New York is broken up into so many random areas that many of the places I've lived or worked have been considered different regions.

Depending on where you are in the Finger Lakes, other areas may or may not be included in the region despite being located on a Finger Lake.  Growing up in Geneva, I was considered from Western New York.  Moving to Ithaca meant I was in the Southern Tier.  And living on Owasco Lake somehow means I am from the outskirts of Syracuse, and thus from Central New York.

It's difficult to find a map that encompasses what I define as the Finger Lakes.  Most exclude at least some areas that I feel are important to our region.  I was happy to find a map on Wikimedia Commons that includes all of what I identify as the Finger Lakes:

Michael J at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

~Sarah Jane

Welcome to We Heart the Finger Lakes

I suppose Tracy and I should introduce ourselves. I was born and raised in the Finger Lakes region of New York. In fact, I have lived here for all but the six years of my life spent on pharmacy school. I love it here for many reasons, and am 93% sure that I wouldn't move unless it was to live in a beach house in Hawaii.

Tracy, on the other hand, is a recent New Yorker, a transplant from Texas. She would probably argue that she isn't a New Yorker at all, and will die a Texan even if she spends the rest of her life with Yankees. Despite her southern roots, she has come to embrace a lot of what New York has to offer, and plans to stay here for the foreseeable future.

Which brings us to why we are writing this blog. It all started with a comment Tracy made at work, about starting a photo album with reasons her mom should move from Texas to New York. Reasons 1, 2, and 3 were obviously Tracy's children. Reason 4 was Tracy herself. But then the entire pharmacy team started throwing out reasons why New York is awesome and her mom should move here, and our blog was born. Hope you enjoy!

~ Sarah Jane