It’s the end of February, and in the last few days I have begun noticing the first signs of Spring. This is only my second Winter in Alabama, so I’m not really sure if it’s been mild or wild—well, it did SNOW one day, that was kind of wild—so I can only give my impressions, as a former Florida girl.
I like the Winter here. At least so far. It’s still kind of new, the idea of having to wear jackets (and scarves and gloves, on occasion). I also like having to bundle up at bedtime. Long underwear and “heated” blankets (it’s no longer environmentally correct to call them “electric” blankets) are the greatest inventions EVER!
I guess I haven’t yet had time to get “jaded” against the Winter. Maybe in a few years I’ll be moaning, “Oh, when will Spring ever get here!” But, as I said, as a former Florida girl, a short blast of cold air still appeals.
All that having been said…it’s exciting to see these first signs of Spring. Here is the look from outside my kitchen window this morning.
After I took this picture, on the ride into work, I saw my first “Girl Tree” of the season. A Girl Tree, of course, is what Mary used to call those trees that flower in the Spring, usually in pink, white, yellow, violet. The one I saw was midway between pink and violet. And then, coming into the building, there was a bird sitting on the roof, singing its silly head off. It was a cardinal, all red and pretty.
If that’s not a sign of Spring, I don’t know what is.
During the coldest days of winter, when the furnace struggles to keep the house warm, even though you may bundle up as well as you can —think about that scene in A Christmas Story, where the mom dresses Ralphie and his brother to go out in the snow, and he compares it to deep-sea diving—(no, it’s not THAT bad!)—but anyway, even though you are bundled up and mostly warm, there is still a reluctance to do anything more strenuous than sit around and watch movies. I guess that’s “hibernating.” I guess that’s part of winter.
In the summer, the same thing happens, but in reverse. Last summer, there were several weeks where the temperatures remained above 100 during the daytime hours, and no matter how hard our a/c units and fans worked, coming into the house after work each day, there was not much more you could do than lay on the bed and try to cool off.
I guess human beings are not really built for temperature extremes.
When we buy our house, it will be significantly newer and more energy efficient, and I’m sure that will make a difference in the comfort level during the highs and lows of outside temperatures. In the meantime, I’m enjoying experiencing the weather.
Autumn is my favorite season, but Spring has its charms as well. And they are well on their way.
