There comes a time when winter’s grasp just gets too much. You can say, “enough already,” but it does no good.
So, when the sun begins to shine, even with chilly temperatures, it’s a thing of beauty. Today was the kind of day defined by that last sentence.
There is a difference between February sunshine and New Year’s sunshine. As the sun gets higher in the sky, the shade of blue produced by sunlight (I think the official term would be color temperature), actually changes. I’ve been noticing that a lot as I drive to work in the afternoon.
Some signs of winter persist. The lawn that surrounds my house is covered in snow, with one small exception. There’s a patch, in front of my garage, which is bare. The heat of my septic tank is enough to warm the ground and melt the snow. During the coldest parts of the winter, that doesn’t happen, or at least doesn’t happen as rapidly.
As much as I’d like to think Spring is around the corner, I know good weather in February is illusory. In fact, it’s with dread that I’ve been looking at the weather maps, tracking the next storm. A period of snow, followed by sleet and/or freezing rain, and then plain old rain, will please no one… especially me.
Did adults always feel this way about winter? We have so much more ability to ‘control’ the weather by going where it’s not. That’s a luxury of the late 20th century that never existed before. Maybe we’re just spoiled.
Fine. I still hate winter.