Sunshine
Before Christmas, I told myself that once we got back from vacation, it would be January, which would certainly fly by, and then February was a short month already, not to mention the week of vacation tossed in there for good measure, and then it would be March. And March is when you are truly allowed to start thinking about spring.
Oh, it is finally finally March. And I am thinking about spring. But who am I kidding? I’ve been dreaming about spring since before Thanksgiving.
I was born in Wisconsin and we lived there until I was about 6, so I do remember a few very snowy days, but the vast majority of my growing up was done in Las Vegas, where it just simply does not get THAT cold. Sure, it freezes overnight during the “winter,” but that lasts for about six to eight weeks.
Then there was the brief three years I spent in Provo – just long enough to remind me that winter is not for me – before we headed to Texas where the weather was, at least in my book, pretty much perfect.
I distinctly remember coming back to Texas after Christmas 2008 and waiting outside the airport for Ralphie to pick us up. We’d dressed that morning in Utah, and now, a few hours later, I was stripping off my sweater, and pushing up the long sleeves of my shirt, and anxiously awaiting the cool AC inside Ralphie’s car. Bart and I said, “This is what January is all about.”
Today at lunch, some of the teachers were talking about how they can’t imagine living somewhere without seasons. I know many many people who feel this way, but I have lived away from them too long to care anymore. No spectacular colored leaves in the fall or heart-stopping joy at the first warm days of spring can make up for the months of cold, bone-numbing winter. No turtleneck sweater or peacoat is worth spending a full quarter of the year devising every possible way to avoid venturing outside.
Keep your seasons – I’ll take year-round summer.
I love seasons! I feel invigorated with each change and have discovered the fall season is such a beautiful experience that it lifts my mood every year. Living in perpetual summer in Florida for 30 years, I enjoy every moment of living with seasons. Don't get me wrong though, the other day when the sun shined through, I was really excited, but it marks the approaching spring.
Ah but the skiing…and the cold nights hunkered around a fire with knitting and a book just letting the world go by, and the hot soup, and the stillness, and the beautiful nuances of gray and white and brilliant sun and white, and the exuberance of the first warm day. How are you ever going to truly imbibe tiptoeing through the tulips of spring if you haven't slipped and sloshed through the snows of January?? And Christmas? No snow??? Unthinkable.
As I am still part of eternal winter, I can't help but agree. I'm sure glad my inlaws live in St. George, so we can always have year-long summer with them.
I do enjoy having seasons, but I prefer to live somewhere where winter is more "the mud season" than one of too much cold and snow. Or, it can snow, but then it must warm up and melt asap. We've had too much cold and snow for me this year – more than the area normally experiences. I need some heat!
February has made my co-workers drop like flies! Over the last few weeks I have had confessions from several that they are sick of their jobs. I think what that really means is they are sick of Michigan. But really, there's no happiness to spread because spring is still 8 weeks away.
Michigan's inevitable freak snowstorm in April won't help either. They should put fluoride and Vitamin D in the water in northern US states.
I agree, mostly.. 🙂 until July – October where I wait until 10pm to go to the grocery store so that my frozen foods don't melt on the 1 mile drive home (not kidding) – and even then it's in the high 70's/low 80's (ewww).
That being said, Texas (specifically Central Texas) is awesome – How I feel is probably best explained with Davy Crockett's famous quote 🙂
Amen…I did not miss that snow one.bit. in Santa Barbara. And as much as I hope it's not true- everyone who lives here keeps telling me that spring here doesn't really exist, it's just cold and rains until June and then all of a sudden it's hot. Why, WHY??
Ditto