We have to hand it to former Vice President Al Gore, no initiative of his since he invented the Internet has been as well received in these parts as his invention of global warming. Al, we love it! This column is being written during the second week of a New England January and the weather this morning was in the low 60’s. It feels like Tampa and we love it.

With fuel oil approaching $3 per gallon, even the hybrid fuel which is made, we believe from one part good old Arab petroleum and one part left over take-out Chinese food, we celebrate Al’s latest endeavor to take care of us. Also, being professional procrastinators, we haven’t serviced the snow blower yet so we appreciate any precipitation we don’t have to shovel, snow-blow or plow. From a safety point of view we love this global warming stuff as we drive a Mustang convertible that has the traction of a toboggan in the least bit of snow.

Global warming is responsible for creating some new vacation destination sites we never dreamed of. Up in Greenland, which in recent memory has never been green, but a chilly shade of arctic blue-white, the ice cap has retreated and we’re finding Viking villages from the last bout of this warming back 600- 1000 years ago. It might be fun to travel up there and check out where Eric-the-Red and Leif Erickson spent their summer vacations from the pillage and plunder business. The more we find of these Viking ruins in Greenland and in Northern Canada we may have to rethink Columbus Day and start celebrating Viking Dragon Ship Day sometime in the spring. With all due respect to our Scandinavian friends I don’t think smoked herring on a stick has a chance to supplant pizza as America’s favorite snack, but we digress.

Down in Florida, Miami could become the next Atlantis and just think of the diving vacations, home ported in Orlando, that could offer underwater tours of South Beach. In fact some of the denizens of South Beach will never realize they’re under water. Think of the whole business as sort of Bay Watch with Scuba gear.

From an economic point of view things are looking up if things go as Al prognosticates. We own some land in Northern California at the foothills of the Sierras. If this thing goes as planned, we could own beachfront property, and we all know how valuable that is on the left coast. Our retirement is secure.

All-in-all as native New Englanders I think we’re entitled to a little global warming after too many decades of winters full of snow, ice, sleet, frozen pipes, ice-dammed gutters and pulling cars from snow banks. Instead of another “Blizzard of ‘78,” we’d much prefer the St. Patrick’s Day heat wave or instead of the “Montreal Express” cold wind, we’d prefer the Presidents’ Day Zephyr. We’ve earned this global warming and we intend to enjoy it. Thanks again Al, we think you’re on to something here. It’s too bad you didn’t think of it in 2000.

Mr. Maddocks is a Brook St. resident.