50+ Lifestyles

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a harsh winter for the heartland

By Becky Lee Hinton
Marketing Director, Silvercrest Garner Assisted Living

We’re really going to get it this year! The regional forecast for our area of these United States predicts that the winter of 2009-2010 will be colder than normal. We were spoiled indeed by our mild winter weather last year and it seems that we will make up for it this year.

Winter will be colder than normal and the coldest periods will be early to mid-December, mid-to late January and latter half of February. We can expect to have above-normal snowfall with the biggest snowstorms occurring in mid-December and early to mid-January. The first snows are predicted for the second week in November continuing through March.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predictions for the 2008-2009 proved to be 88% accurate nationwide. If you don’t want to rely on the Old Farmer’s Almanac, you could always turn to the prognosticator of old…the woolly bear caterpillar.

The woolly bear caterpillar is the larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth. In case you didn’t know, they are fuzzy caterpillars that appear about this time of the year. They are a couple of inches long and they are black on each end with a rusty-brown band in the middle. They are also known as woolly worms and black-ended bears. The folklore says that if the brown band is wide, then the winter will be mild. A narrow brown band means get ready for deep snow and cold well into April. All of the woolly bears that my daughters have come across this year have brown bands that are narrower than the black ends.

The very thought of shoveling and blowing all of that snow makes my head spin! I certainly don’t like driving in winter weather. I don’t even want to think what my gas and electric bill will be during this next six months of mid-west winter weather.

If you are also dreading with inconveniences of winter weather, perhaps I can help! At the Fountains Active Retirement Community, we take the sting out of winter. As part of our “Resort-Style Living”, we take care of all snow removal, we provide transportation and utilities are included! If you haven’t considered the luxury all-inclusive lifestyle yet, it’s not too late to move in before the first snowfall.

The Fountains is more affordable than you might think.
For more information or to schedule your personal tour, call Becky at (563) 332-5775. The Fountains Active Retirement Community offers the most in Independent Apartments, Assisted Living residences, Dementia Memory Care suites, Villas and Town Homes. The Fountains is located just north of 53rd Street on Devils Glen Road in Bettendorf.
At the Fountains Active Retirement Community, we take the sting out of winter.