I don’t know where you live, but have you ever noticed that there is a world of difference between Spring Fever and actual Spring? Essentially, it’s the difference between a promise and a delivery.
You may have noticed that most of middle America this year is mired in a deep funk as forecasts including measurable amounts of snow are repeated week after week after we–
Excuse me, just one second.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Now where was I?
Oh, yes: the promise. Otherwise known as the cruel tease. According to the calendar, the seasons change approximately every three months. So it seems reasonable to expect some kind of change in the weather, perhaps even an improvement, about – say – every three months. When it doesn’t come, people feel betrayed and tempers flare. By March 21st, several bounties have usually been posted on the Ground Hog. (Since I start yearning for spring about a day or two after the Winter Solstice, I’ve been known to take it very hard.)
I’m more than ready for tulips, fresh green grass, and mild temperatures. Put another way, there is very little appeal to hunting for Eastern eggs in six inches of snow!
I’m afraid that the Black Hills of South Dakota – while honestly earning its nickname as “the banana belt” (by virtue of producing at least one 65 degree day every month of the year) – nevertheless rarely experiences anything even resembling spring. Year after year, when March 21 arrives, nothing happens. We settle in – with much grumbling and maybe a tear or two – for several more weeks with little improvement in temperatures, and recurrent snowfalls, until about mid-June when summer arrives overnight. Yes, you read that correctly: more often than not, we have only three seasons here on the northern plains.
If one more person reminds me that since I live in the northern tier of states, I must be used to it, I refuse to accept responsibility for my response!
NO! You never get used to it!!
So there.
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