Spring's teasing

There have been two wonderful days in a row--maybe we could count Thursday and make that 'three'. The crocus and bluebells and jonquils are out in force, along with other flowers whose names I do not know. But there is this, when I checked the weather forcast on the web it seems things will turn cooler soon. Today it hit 70, but not for the next week, my personal weather people tell me. Alas, spring is not yet here.

Here's what I remember from growing up in southern West Virginia, in the mountains there--Spring lasted 4 months, as did Autumn and Wineter and Summer divided up the other 4. Far as I can tell, that is the year most people would love. So move to Welch or Kimball or Keystone or Gary or War or Anawalt, where I grew up. Jenkinjones as well, if you want to live somewhere with a longer name. That area of the nation could stand an influx of new citizens and their money, believe you me.

New England is a tease. I've been here for almost half my life, with a break between the first two years and the other 25. Winter is unrelenting and Spring never comes--I expect in mid-May we'll arrive at 89 degrees and 87 percent humitity having had a week or so of Spring. Fall lasts long enough to get the idiots from New York to drive up to see the colors (which are nothing compared to the two months of color in Anawalt, WV, by the way) and then collapses into sleet, snow, freezing rain and general unpleasantness.

I love the blue-state politics of New England and the progressive attitudes of the people north of NYC. But the weather, quite frankly, sucks. I've been going to Ireland every year for a while to lead a workshop and stick around for a few days. We were at this wondrous retreat Center in County Sligo, right on the north-west coast last year. In the course of an hour, it snowed, sleeted, rained and had glorious sunshine in April. Just like Connecticut except that Ireland is green most of the year and the weather truly passes.

I know that CT is nothing like our northern New England neighbors. I shouldn't complain. Winter is the dominant season up there, but at least they know how to deal with it. I actually don't hate winter as much as I did years ago. Something about building up a resistance to depression and vitamin D deficiency.

A friend of mine told me my blog was 'scarey' and my own daughter told me she thought it was 'near the edge'. So, today, I'm just talking about the weather. No harm in that, eh?