It’s safe to say spring is here.
(But I hope I don’t jinx it.)
Midwestern cities sometimes never experience the second season in the year. It usually gets overpowered by prolonged snow flurries or drenched in abundant rain. That’s why switching from fall/winter to spring/summer clothing is always tricky.
This season hasn’t always been kind to this region; playing tricks and hide and seek seem to be spring’s pastimes.
I remember going on a trip to Hawaii at the end of March during my senior year in high school. It was wet and cool when we left. After a week in paradise, we figured coming back to Michigan it should start to warm up. Getting off the plane back in Detroit, my family and I were welcomed with 2 inches of snow.
It is also the time of year when the gas bill is supposed to get smaller. I was amazed to see figures on my bill not far from what they were when I first arrived in Portland, but some mornings the chill just wouldn’t go away so my thermostat goes back up for about an hour.
While everyone feared April Fools jokes, I think the month itself proved to be the better prankster. Some mornings were warm and the afternoons were cold. I went to bed shivering and woke up sweating. Goodness gracious.
As soon as April comes around, warmer weather is what I anticipate. I long for the ability to wear clothing without knit stockings and sweaters. A bright shining sun through stratocumulus clouds, saving precipitation for a later date, as calm winds blow through the trees. Suddenly it rushes faster, silencing the birds and small plant-dwelling mammals. Then watching the trees bow to the light from the hot winds, remembering only a few months ago, the brightness was too faint and took their leaves away.
We are actually closer to the sun during winter and fall than we are in the warmer months. Astronomers learned because of the Earth’s axis the light isn’t spread out as much in June, causing more concentrated energy that makes everything warmer. During its revolution, 365-day route around the ball of fire, we deal with the changes of the weather, and how it affects us as we go about our days. The frustration for some is the stale chill of winter is gone, and the delight in the eyes of others that their days seem even brighter.
The days of spring affect me the most. They confuse, agitate and bother me with their inconsistencies and cruel jokes. And April is the worst of all the spring months.
As a precaution, my winter clothes are still hanging in my closet.