Who can afford a warm winter?

I can't believe it's February.

One reason is that it was just November a couple of days ago. And then a blur. Does February come right after the blur?

Another reason is that January is supposed to be winter. Cold. Ice. Snow. Wind.

And what did we have?

Warm. Rain. An hour or two of sunshine.

The flower bulbs in our yard are just as confused as I am. Hyacinths, tulips and daffodils are poking up. The day lilies are putting out shoots. The hydrangeas are putting on leaves. I'm sure the forsythia I watch at the corner of Independence and Lorimier is going to burst into golden splendor any day now.

Unless, of course, winter sneaks in.

That's the worst thing about discussing the weather. Just when you think you've got it figured out, Mother Nature sends a surprise.

February could bring ugly winter weather. March and even April could be miserable too. I'm hoping that raising the topic doesn't jinx whatever is in store for us. I'd just as soon have blooms as blizzards.

The biggest snowfall I remember as a child on Killough Valley in the Ozark hills over yonder came in April. And, unlike most snowfalls I remember, it stayed around for several days, long enough to build a snow fort and two or three snowmen.

I would guess that the January we just had -- if it really happened at all -- was one of the warmest ever for these parts.

That's OK with me. I don't mind setting a weather record occasionally, especially when it's in my favor.

Or at least I think it's in my favor. Common sense tells me that a warm January will result in lower utility bills. So why am I paying more this year than last year when it was a respectable winter?

I am a big fan of the utility companies. I'm an even bigger fan of the utility-company employees who repair utility lines so I stay comfortable. Utility repairs are rarely made in good weather. Workers get out in nasty weather, hot or cold, and deal with lots of broken stuff: limbs, wires, houses, bridges.

I certainly know it's no fault of these crews that my utility bill is so screwy.

For example, I scratch my head when my bill goes up so much during such a mild winter -- so far. I'm not at all good at math, but I a few days ago I was bound and determined to figure this out.

With the aid of a good calculator with fresh batteries, I dissected the utility bill. I discovered that I indeed am using less electricity and less natural gas. But the prices have gone up. In some cases, the prices have gone up a lot.

So even though we keep our thermostat on 68 when we get up and when we get home from work, and on 65 during the night and during the day when we're not at home, our bills are climbing. Even though we put Energy Star-rated double-glazed windows throughout the house, our bills are climbing. Even though we added insulation in the attic, our bills are climbing.

And then I read in this very newspaper that some utility companies are seeking state regulatory approval to raise rates -- to offset revenue reductions caused by mild weather and by conservation-minded folks like my wife and I.

For as much as we're paying for utilities, we should be getting a nasty winter.

On the other hand, if we really had a nasty winter, could we afford it?

~ R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.