Spring Hasn’t Sprung
I can’t believe the day has come when I’m going to start a story with the most universally annoying phrase used by old folks, but it has. That’s just where we’re at. So, here goes.
Back in my day, we had 4 seasons in Canada. We learned all about them at school. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. They all had their own distinct strong and weak points.
Winter is beautiful. There’s nothing prettier than freshly fallen snow on the evergreens as the sun shines down catching the flakes at just the right angle to make them sparkle. On the downside, there’s precious little daylight and it’s freezing cold.
Summer is full of freedom and fun. It’s the season of swimming, BBQs and bonfires. But it can get too hot. I’d rather be too cold than too hot. If you’re too cold, there’s really no limit to the number of layers of clothing you can put on. If you’re too hot, there IS a limit to how many articles of clothing you can remove before someone calls the cops.
Fall is pleasant and spectacular. The brilliant reds, oranges and yellows of the leaves as they change colour in the cooler air is one of my favourite things in the world. It’s always been a great time of year for me because it’s when school starts. I was a strange kid, I loved school. Downside? Yeah, there is none, except maybe that summer’s over.
And then there’s Spring, arguably the most anticipated season of all in my neck of the woods. After 5 months of blizzards and bone-chilling cold, the gradual warming of the air, the melting snow and longer days are most welcome. The not so great side of Spring? It’s wet, muddy and messy as hell!
That was always the way it was. I remember it vividly.
But not this year. Spring didn’t come. No, seriously, it DID. NOT. COME. As April came to a close, it was cold. It was snowing. Yeah, snowing. Big, fat, wet flakes.
I was taking Rudy out for walks in my winter coat and hat. It was cold.
Then, BAM! Less than a week later, I’m in shorts and Rudy’s at the beach checking out the water.
I had to scramble to do my annual wardrobe changeover. I didn’t even have a chance to do my annual trying on ritual. Yeah, that’s a thing. When you’re a middle-aged woman with menopause messing with you, weight gain, even when you’re as thin as I am, is a concern. Even more than that, the mean and nasty redistribution of body fat, well… Suffice to say, it’s important to check and see if last year’s shorts still fit. But I digress.
What happened to Spring? That’s what I want to know. Is this a new thing now? Is this a result of climate change? Are we losing Spring? I’m not being hyperbolic. This is a serious question for those science types out there.
Is Fall going to leave us too?
Is this how it’s going to be from now on, Winter and Summer and nothing in between?
