You should start your day out by being wet and shivering.
That’s what winter thinks, but winter has a harsh personality. There are times when harshness is valuable, maybe even refreshing. Getting out of the shower is not one of those times, in my opinion.
“It’s winter—this is normal,” I said to Big Dog. He was curled tightly into a ball on his bed and he looked on at my nakedness like he felt very sorry that I was born a human—a pathetic creature with no fur. Freaks among mammals, really. We are absurd looking, right up there with the elephant.
Outside, Big Dog’s water bowl had a thin layer of ice on top and the children thought that was brilliant. To think, nature makes ice just like a freezer, only it didn’t need to be plugged in to anything to do it. The children thought this was fabulous.
I think it’s stupid.
There are other stupid things. Like coming outside shortly after dawn while it is five degrees above freezing, and finding that pine trees are scattering their love dust all over your vehicle.
It is stupid to be cold, and have allergies.
Spring is here, a flutter of pine needles whispered on the wind.
“No, it isn’t,” I returned as dryly as the maple leaves under foot. “You are very confused.”
A few hours later it was thirty degrees warmer, and we were shedding coats one by one, like dandelion fluffs blown to the wind one puff at a time.
Spring!
Spoken so swiftly and falling into the next Spring! with such a speedy chirp that it was almost incomprehensible, little cardinal chirped it to the heavens.
“Nonsense.”
What silly birds cardinals are. They ought to know this is the way of a Florida winter—it is warm, then it is cold, then it is warm, then it is cold—so that the crack on your bottom lip has time to heal, before the cold arrives again and chaps it once more. Despite winter’s harsh personality, it is often thoughtful and kind in Florida. I think Florida is a bit like winter’s vacation house. It is always in a good mood when it is here, and it is always good company when hiking.
The wind rushed around us, and there was something livening in it. It was warm and fresh and it definitely smelled pink, if it were possible to smell a color. The trail snaked about, creeping forward in a recently-woke-up-but-not-quite-ready-to-play sort of way, until the woods opened up and was replaced by sand and water. Neither of those care one bit about seasons, but simply sparkle in the sunlight year round. And so we spent the day there on the sand and water in a sort of season-less neutrality.
But winter days are short—not as short as they were a month ago—but short. We traveled back, surrounded by silly-headed little birds everywhere singing this and that but all the same talk as the cardinal. They were all mistaken. It was just a cacophony of birdsong mistakes.
The day grew dim, and almost gone. But instead of those golden cloudless sunsets that were typical of the past two months, the gold turned pink, like the sky no longer belonged to winter.
The crispy brown sweet potato vine at my doorstep rustled softly. She is here.
“Lies—all lies,” I said while wrapping myself up. “It is cold again, and everything but the pine is as brown and crispy as you are.”
But she creeps, swayed the leafless maple;
Slowly, tinkled the wind chime leaves of the camphor;
She trickles, shook the gangly moss in the tired old oak;
Just a little bit at a time, sighed the dregs of elm leaves as they fell;
Until all of the sudden, rattled the palmetto fronds;
She is here, repeated the brown and crispy sweet potato vine.
What extreme weather of cold and hot contrast you experience in Florida, and here I thought it was hot all the year round given its location. Now I know and understand your want for a furry coat like Big Dog.... or maybe not as I made that up.😊
It is hard to believe that we will be having chilly nights in winter in the next several months and here I am sleeping under the fan right now!
Happy day @ginnyannette. (Please call me Angie and sorry that I have not visited for a little while)
We forget the intensity of seasons and their sensations so fast, no matter how many we experience it seems. It always is hard to recall precisely how it feels in midwinter while in the midst of summer. I suppose because the seasons creep in so gently, transitioning us out of our current thinking until it is lost, and who can really grasp shivering in the process of sweating? I am looking forward to the heat creeping in, and I'm sure you will enjoy your chilly nights coming soon:)
Thanks for reading Angie, and I hope you have a lovely day as well.
I didn't know it gets that cold in your winter down there in FL. It sounds similar to winters here in South Australia where it can get down to 0-1°C at night and as much as 20-23°C in the day. I guess the average day temp to be about 15°C though, and loads of clear skies. January is your coldest month?
Sometimes I wish I was a sasquatch as cold mornings would be more easily dealt with but then I think of the downsides and I'm like, nah. 😉
I hope you're well Ginny, having a good weekend and all.
Yes, that sounds exactly like our winters. Mostly clear skies and daytime temperatures are comfortable with just thin long sleeves. January is our coldest month, and now we are on the warm weather up-swing. We are those people that outwardly seem to have nothing in common, but upon further inspection have quite a bit.
I think the human brain with the ability to choose our fur coats does ultimately outweigh the sasquatch hair...but I have times when I would like to be like Big Dog. Just walk around with the same permanently attached clothes.
All is well here. It is a bright Saturday afternoon and I am about to make myself a chocolate cake. Things will be even better in a couple of hours when it is done. :)
Mmm, sasquatch likey chocolate cake! 😉
I think is like FL winters...The summers maybe not so much. I'm not a fan of humidity.
Please continue to have a good weekend G.
Humidity is wonderful. You don't need saunas to sweat out your toxins. You'd love it;)
Sounds wonderful.
Oh it is and I will not be satisfied until I am sure there is no sarcasm in those words;)
You know me well...There's was some sarcasm.
Just a bit.
Ok, maybe a little more than a bit.
Ok, maybe a fairly healthy dose.
Ok, bugger it, maybe a whole mess of sarcasm.
Ok, not maybe, definitely.
There, you happy now?
What I gather from this post is that you are not a fan of winter and cold 😁 We call it back winter when the nature first shows you a bit of spring, only to surprise you with a snow storm a few days later.
I like that back winter term. I don't think we have a term for spring's slow sneak onto the scene. Winter and cold weather are lovely...for about one month, and after that I start to take it personally. I start feeling it in my bones and my hands dry out, and I start to accuse winter of doing it out of spite.
What?! Cold, short days... Ice on the dogs water? I thought you lived in a sunny hinterland where the golden light spilt like honey on each and every day!
This has been one of the colder winters we have had in many years. Usually we get a couple of nights that either freeze or are close to it. This winter we had quite a few more than a couple. The kids had never seen nature-made ice before, so it must have been at least 8 years since we had any.
I am in North Florida. I believe you are thinking of South Florida, where they do not have much of a winter at all...they traded their cold for way too many people, way too much concrete, lots of ugly buildings, and a froufrou culture that really values wearing name brands and a lot of makeup. I recommend hanging onto your freezing temperatures;)
Your description of South Florida sound like any of the big cities in Scotland minus the warmth!
This is one of those moments that should be heart-warming, where we say something like "Isn't it amazing that no matter what the culture, humans can find commonality!" But instead this is more of a sad moment where we acknowledge that humanity really is universally stupid.
It sounds like winter in San Antonio when I lived there. In 6 years, I thing I only saw snow once, but I loved that winters didn't get real cold and stay there. If the temps were near freezing on Monday, by the end of the week, it was sunny and over 70 degrees ! The coolness came and went a lot faster than here and people were planting flowers by the end of February instead of late April. I loved it.
All those whisper'ers with their crunchy instruments..... brrrrr
I do love that winter wraps up early here. It is a trade of course, long winter for long humid summer. A lot of northerners move down here - they are flocking to my area at a ridiculous rate unfortunately - and are completely in denial about the trade. And then they cry and moan all summer, demanding we spray more crap on everything for the mosquitoes, and can't leave their air conditioned houses. Ha.
I love the end of winter partly because of the plants. I hate seeing everything brown and buckled over. I imagine snow would improve the view, but we don't do that here, winter is just sad looking decrepit browns and yellows. Too many crunchy instruments:)
That is what makes winter worse, all the brown and crunchy, which we know is only good for toast. :)
If only the dead things were bright yellow, blue and purple, instead of brown. All the brown just adds insult to the frosty temp injuries.
Like neon yellow, and Easter-lavender. Oh that would be lovely:)
You must've been on the west coast then. They're cold over there on the Miami / Ft Lauderdale side.
I am on the northeast side. I heard the Miami area got a freeze this year as well and lost quite a bit of tropical fruit, so I suppose they got their share. The young citrus trees in my yard look quite angry about the whole affair of winter, holding their crispy tender upper leaves outward as though complaining to the hair stylist that left the leaves too long in the curling iron.
If I was a professor and grading responses was a thing, you've earned an: A+
Why thank you. I was a very lazy student overall, so I will gladly accept that A+ to improve my GPA.
My wife graduated Summa Cum Laude from SFSU and she hates it when I say 3.9865 in a group of strangers but I've never known anyone with a 3.9865. Thing is..... I didn't know Summa Cum Laude had a definition before I met her. 🥶