Perpetual Ruminations

Weather Spring or Winter?

Spring is in the air. That sounds good, but it's only the middle of February here in northeastern South Dakota, and it should not be spring like at all. For the last few weeks, the temperatures have been in the upper thirties to upper forties, and for this week, upper forties to near sixty! The snow and ice has almost all melted, things are getting muddy, and the last few times we had precipitation, it came as rain. Yes very springy, indeed. My wife has even started talking about starting some flowers, and she is not the only one.

I'm not complaining, spring is my favorite season, and I'm as eager for winter to end as anyone. But, I wonder, will it last? Typically, February is a cold month with temperatures barely reaching thawing and times of it dropping below zero. March is more likely to bring us into the thirties and forties, but it can still hold in the twenties or even single digits. Also, March is our big snow month, with plenty of winter storms.

For the time being, it seems we have skipped February and March and jumped from January to April. If it lasts, I will be able to take the kayaks out by next month; the ice on the lakes is dwindling quickly. By April, we may be able to get in some camping, if the weather continues, as well as getting flowers planted outside. Cripes, we may even have to start mowing the grass by then!

But then again, the temperatures could drop back to normal and we could get buried in snow and be shoveling out instead of mowing and gardening. It's interesting, and I have plenty of doubt about the weather yet to come. But, there seems to be a multitude of people who are believing this is spring. At work, I see a lot of spring projects getting started; people are leaving with shingles, patio block, and decking materials.

I wouldn't mind if the weather turned and winter returned, it makes it slow and easy at work. But, I wouldn't mind having an early and long spring, either. It seems like ages since we had a nice spring, a slow transition with enjoyable weather to enjoy as the world around us wakes from it's winter slumber. Our past springs have been very short and more like jumping from winter right into summer for some years now.

Yes, a nice long spring would be very welcome, but I'll continue to be prepared for the violent return of winter, just in case.