Pages

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Winter, spring... which of thee has forsaken me?

All this pre-spring weather is spoiling me. I'm jonsing for spring now, and it's still the middle of winter, still February and we have all of March to survive. We could, in reality, be hit with tons more snow. I feel like this is sort of a cruel trick of Mother Nature.

We went from having blizzard like conditions to sunny days that I thought would never end, with temperatures in the high 50s. It's supposed to be a little chiller today but still sunny and bright. Maybe in the high 40s.

The smell of the damp earth fills my nose and reminds me of daffodils and spring rain. I love when the earth has a wet, dampness to it and the warm sun shines and then the smell permeates everything. To me, that is the quintessential smell of spring.

I don't hate winter at all. It's been a nice winter, though I've occasionally be frustrated. I like spring, for the most part, but I am NOT a fan of summer. I think in the past I've dreaded spring only because summer follows. Here in the Midwest, it's so humid and hot. It's sticky and just.... hot. I don't like the heat. And when it does rain and I pray for a cooling reprieve, what usually happens is steam rolling off the pavement and the humidity goes up a few notches.

As I get older, my love affair with seasons change. Years ago I would say winter was my favorite season, hands down. I'm not so sure now. I like fall quite a bit. It's cool and brilliantly colored. I like spring because of the smells of the earth, the rejuvenation. I still love winter, but I'm not sure it holds the number one spot in my heart any more, though summer certainly does hold the lowly 4th place.

I love living in a place with seasons. I don't think I could live in the extreme south with no distinct seasons, though this winter would've been the exception, rather than the rule. I love the seasons and the changing and evolving.

Seasons here are certainly different than when I lived in the Wild West. I was a Plains girl so the summers were like the desert, little greenery and all brown and rarely did it rain. Winter was piles of snow and cold so cold it burned my lungs. If I blinked I would miss spring and fall. They practically didn't exist. Autumn had no color to speak of, primarily because we had no trees. One day it was hot and sweltering, the next day cold and blowing and the third there was a foot of snow. I'm not kidding. Spring was about the same. It would be freezing, or colder, then warm and muddy and then hot and desert like. The Midwest certainly kicks season butt because we get it all here.

So while I wax poetic about the spring, and I have certainly enjoyed the reprieve from the monstrosity of snowfall we've had this winter, I wish this little taste of spring hadn't been offered. Next week, when we get the predicted snow fall, I'll be pretty miserable. I suppose, a positive spin would be that now I have something to reflect upon and remember fondly-- my few winter days of 60 degrees, the warm earth, the sunshine that feels warm on skin, the light jackets rather than heavy woolens...

Thinking spring,
Maggie

3 comments:

Curley said...

I'm just glad that the black muddy snow is almost gone. I love fall, like you because of the color and sping because everything looks reborn. I can live with summer becaus of air conditioning. How did they stand it before electricity, especially in those long dresses?

Wiley said...

It was 75 degrees here yesterday. Pure fucking heaven. Today it's still sunny, but 50 and windy as all get out. It feels unnaturally cold for mother nature to be so mean.
Please can I have spring now?

Jimmie Earl said...

For me, it's Spring, hands down. Spring represents new birth and new beginnings. Everything is fresh and green. It is said very well in the Bible when it says, "the winter is past, the [cold] is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." This from the Song of Solomon really expresses Spring in all it's wonder.
JE