A native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Missouri, Eric Bernsee has enjoyed residing in Greencastle for more than 25 years. Years of consuming McDonald's iced teas, Dairy Castle flurries and Marvin's GCBs have helped make him the man he is today.

Wait'll next year

Posted Monday, March 19, 2012, at 11:33 AM

Okay, so who predicted the horrible, terrible, very bad winter of 2011-12 ... the Mayans?

In the wee small hours of Tuesday morning, as winter turned into spring 2012, we are in the midst of record-breaking warmth. It's been 80 degrees in Indiana. 80 degrees!

The other day it was 79 in Chicago, but only 54 out in Arizona where the Cubs are in the midst of spring training. I blame Bartman.

Last week alone 1,200 record-high temperatures were set across the U.S., making it 6,000 record highs since the calendar flipped to 2012.

Remember back last fall when all the weather prognosticators were predicting such an awful winter -- especially in the upper Midwest -- that people would be moving from Chicago in droves? Yep, they have endured the fire, Lake Michigan fish kills and numerous Cubs' collapses but this winter was supposed to have sent them streaming out of the Windy City.

Yeah, weren't those the same guys who picked the Packers to repeat in the Super Bowl and Missouri to win the NCAA tourney?

Don't get me wrong, I love this weather. Love it. But it has to be the first time I've ever had green grass for St. Patrick's Day.

Mowed my yard Saturday, again probably the earliest that has happened since I fled Richmond, Va.

Of course, before I could even give the Dixie Chopper a good cranking, I had to venture into town to air up my tank so I could inflate the tires properly. Also had to fill my gas can to ensure fresh fuel for the mower, and refill the propane tank on my Weber grill so there could be charred red meat when all the mowing was done.

As I zero-turned my way around the yard and back, not failing to miss a nasty cowpie some large animal deposited in the backyard, I realized this is only the beginning. With our early start, there now are probably 32 or more weekends of mowing ahead of us for 2012.

And by the time November arrives, we can all be sure of one thing (okay, two if you believe the Mayans). With a mild winter behind us, the weather guessers will all be playing the odds and jumping on the horrible, terrible, very bad winter bandwagon for winter 2012-13.

Count on it. But just don't tell the Mayans.