This is that uncomfortable part of the year when we’re forced to remember that climate is what we expect and weather is what we get. We go to bed gazing at a full moon and wake in darkness to the sound of thundering rain and wind chimes. Magically, by morning the sky is clear and the sun comes up but the whole world drips and there’s a river running down the driveway.

Throughout the day, sunshine and showers alternate every couple hours while the barometer bounces up and down and the ears of the barometrically sensitive pop and ache.

From the pages of the Del Norte Triplicate, March of 1940.

Del Norte County’s plight due to stoppage of all WPA projects and a slash in relief checks is being given serious consideration by Gov. Culbert L. Olson and other state officials with the results that action to relieve the situation may be forthcoming in the near future.

Reports from Sacramento indicate that a move will be started at once to return WPA here to make up for the loss of direct relief funds, which were cut 40 percent at the recent special session of the state legislature.

Through the years the Warriors have had a number of outstanding quarterbacks put on the blue and gold of Del Norte High. One of those that I remember well is 1960 graduate Danny Sousa.

It’s March! Spring doesn’t officially begin until the equinox, but I’m so desperate I start early, like stores filled with Halloween decor the day after school starts.

As winters go, this was my best ever. I just finished the last big house project, so I’m proud as a whitewashed pig. And I can keep it this way in less than an hour a day. After I painted the bathroom, George came to install a new toilet on concrete to replace the old one that rocked on rotten wood like a small boat in a high sea. One more thing that will never have to be done again.

From the pages of the Del Norte Triplicate, February 1965.

The route to Grants Pass is open again after the December 1964 flood. The first convoy of vehicles left Gasquet at 7 a.m. In a surprise move, the division of highways announced the opening Tuesday afternoon.

Three convoys per day will leave Gasquet at 7 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m. Convoys will be limited to pickups, four-wheel drives, and single-unit trucks with a 10-ton limit.

Larry Baker is a former  Del Norte Warrior that is fun to write about.

This is because after college he became a high school football coach. While he was the head coach at Crater High School in Central Point, Ore., and I was the Warrior head coach, we met twice on the gridiron. It was fun to play against this classy former Warrior.

The opportunities for Del Norte weather to make me look like a complete idiot are many, and I’ve been had one more time. We can blame it on deadlines. Unlike breaking news stories, columns should be in a couple days ahead of publication. It’s a courtesy to the folks who have to make big stories, little stories, regular features and ads all fit while saving room for anything urgent.

From the pages of the Del Norte Triplicate, February 1960.

Crescent City voters will decide whether or not they want fluoride added to drinking water in a citywide election in April. The City Council paved the way for a slam-bang day at the polls when it agreed to place fluoridation on the ballot.

The decision is expected to trigger a repeat performance of the bitter controversy that flared in late 1958 when the council first considered fluoridation.

In 1968, the College of the Redwoods football team won the state junior college championship.

This was great because five of the starting offensive unit were former Warriors. Their leading running back was Warrior grad Dave Scott. Dave was a 1967 Del Norte High graduate. While a Warrior he played football, basketball, wrestled and ran track. Football was his specialty where he made all league in both his junior and senior years.

It’s easy to see the beauty of life in April, the month of fruit tree blossoms, nesting swallows and the heady perfume of wild azaleas. But in mid-February, we really have to look for beauty and a light at the end of winter’s tunnel. The soil is saturated and cold, and the sky is gray and dripping.       

Moss grows on everything from raised beds to couch potatoes.