Give Thanks...For A/C

 It's coming, the warmer weather. I couldn't stop it even if I tried. Most worship warmer weather and welcome it with open sleeveless arms. Me?

It's complicated.

In many ways I love a good spring or summer day. I really enjoyed summer as a child, growing up on the side of a mountain with an amusement park only a few miles away wearing only shorts, a t-shirt, and shoes. I had amazing friends, amazing parents and siblings, and a wonderful childhood.

Then, you grow up.

Growing up means summer is just another season in which a person works--some don't, but I don't have one of those jobs. Growing up means having to wear enough clothing to be socially acceptable--some don't, but I'm one to obey local decently laws. I still have amazing friends, my parents have passed, but am having a wonderful adult-time.

However, there are things brought on by spring and enhanced by summer, namely allergies, bugs, and weeds. Three's always good with the bad and the older I get, the less I appreciate allergies, bugs, and/or weeds.

Turning on the A/C on my car is one of the first signs of spring. I'll use the A/C sparingly now, then as time goes on, it'll be on more and more until the hot months when it's pretty much a given. I'm thankful to live in a place where we have four defined seasons, where we live in a time when A/C is something to which we have access. I'm also thankful that with each passing day, we're closer to the time when the temperatures will drop and bugs and weeds disappear. It's only a matter of time.

I Can See Greenery Now The Snow Is Gone...

 This winter season has been, in a word, crazy. Like many places across our country, we've broken precipitation records and currently have record snowpack in our mountains. With some recent warmer temperatures, it's been a while since I've seen so much green in our back yard.

Truth be told, it's not so much green, but sort of a green/tan combination as the grass has been under literal feet of snow for months. It's finally breaking through, however, thanks in part of a dog who loves to play fetch even when the balls thrown to him disappear under several inches of snow.

We put in the fence last spring. it's turned out to be a great decision. The dog can just run and run. It's weird seeing the snow drifts along the edge of the fence, though. We're lucky we didn't need to open the gates for any reason. We'd have to do even more shoveling.

Since this is the first "big winter" for us here, we're not sure how the area will handle this much snow. Apparently, the hill on which we live is known for the natural springs underneath the streets and homes. I take it that's a good sign, but even the best areas can have too much water. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

It's good to see the lawn. We're supposed to get rain tonight (yes, more precipitation...) which will reduce the snow even more. As I walked around with the dog this afternoon, the grass squished beneath my shoes. One day soon, we'll be we able to don our shorts, sit outside as we try and avoid the mosquitoes, and enjoy spring.

Unless, the snow keeps coming.

Spring...Let The Attack Begin

 Spring...is coming.

Some would say, it's already here.

Let the attack begin.

When I say "attack," I'm not meaning anything on a grand scale, nothing involving troops or guns or things that cause major damage. No, the attack is in a micro-level and it involves pollen, sinuses, and diminished tolerances. 

It's my semi-annual battle with allergies.

It makes spring not quite as enjoyable as I can be, as it should be.

No--I'm not a "spring person," at least, not as an adult. As a kid, I loved spring. Spring meant it was closer to summer and summer meant going to Lagoon, swimming in the pool, hanging out at the Arcade, riding bikes and skateboard with friends, hiking the hills, going to Idaho for vacation. I'm pretty sure I had seasonal allergies when I was a kid--my siblings can tell stories--but I don't remember those. I remember enjoying spring.

Today, I walked outside to see if the raspberry starts we planted were alive or not. We saw evidence they were, or most of them anyway. I also checked some flowers we planted in the front yard. I snapped a picture of a dead rose. It's interesting...in one small yard in Northern Utah, there are signs of new life and signs of past life. In the coming weeks, we'll see more of the former and less of the latter. Such is life.

Yes, seasonal allergies are kicking my trash right now. I wonder, if I'm able to look back on this time thirty or more years in the future, will I remember disliking spring, or will I not remember it?

Time will tell.