From Mary Anna--My favorite season

It's an interesting topic we have this week.  What's my favorite season?

Well, I really and truly don't like being cold, so my favorite season is not winter.  And it's not autumn, either, because the falling leaves are a good sign that it'll be cold soon.  (This is Florida, so being "cold soon" is defined as "the leaves are falling, so it'll be Christmas soon, and that means I'm probably going to have to wear socks shortly after that."  I'm a bare feet and sandals and loafers kind of girl.  I hate socks.) 

Winter here is confined to a couple of weeks in January, usually, although I thought last winter would never end.  I whine copiously when it's cold outside, so I have a pact with myself to never whine about the heat.  If I did, I'd be unpleasant company year-round.

This leaves me spring and summer.  Spring is a strong candidate, because I get to take off my socks and because the in-your-face color blast of azaleas and redbuds and dogwoods in this part of the world is simply magic.  But you know...I still think summer wins.

I once got a piece of email spam entitled "You know you're from Mississippi when..."  One of my favorite things about it was the part about the seasons.  It said that we Mississippians know all four seasons:

Almost Summer

Summer

Still Summer

And Christmas

Summer, when the air is steambath-thick, just feels like home to me.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my air conditioner, but I'm willing to put up with north Florida summertime weather because it makes the world so lush.  Plants jump up out of the ground and grow.  My vegetable garden can be in production all year, if I've got the energy to make it so, and if I'm willing to stop whining and go outdoors in January.

Summer also feels like a metaphor for my life now.  I'm inarguably middle-aged.  I even have two grandchildren.  Yet I feel strong and vital and busy and happy.  My career is on the upswing, and I expect it to keep me engaged in the world for many years.  I like being the calm and competent person that younger people sometimes ask for advice, and I'm perfectly happy for them to ignore it. The second glance I got from a frat boy yesterday will help me pretend for a while longer that the time isn't passing.  The fact that he was far away and I was hiding my middle-aged face behind a big pair of sunglasses didn't dim my amusement a bit.  Part of me wanted to chase him down, show him my driver's license, and say, "Thank you, dear!" 

Seasons pass, but life is good, and I expect it to remain so for a good long while.

Comments

[Susan C Shea]

I'm with you on the no socks (or shoes)! I don't get to blog about this topic, but warmth, if not seasons, is much on my mind having just returned from balmy Hawaii with its swimmable water to the SF Bay Area. This morning I walked at Crissy Field in SF in nearly all the clothes I own and my nose and fingers are still freezing. But it's summer here, so which season also depends on where, doesn't it? Thanks for the warming post.

[Mary Anna Evans]

Hawaii...oh, wow...

I spent a lovely week on the Big Island once, and I would love to go back and check out the others. It's hard to imagine it being so cold in San Francisco at this time of year. We had some record-breaking heat in June--up to 103--but now we're back to normal highs in the low 90s. It almost feels like a cold snap. :)

Another matter of perspective--I remember the water in Hawaii as being almost too cold. Our beaches either front on the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf Stream. I don't imagine any part of the Pacific gets that warm. Maybe the Sea of Cortez, off Baja California.

Right now, there's a rumbling thunderstorm going on outside my window. We're just now getting into the summer season when those come nearly every afternoon, just long enough to drop the mercury and elevate the relative humidity. My garden was thirsty, so it's loving the rain.

[Camille Minichino]

Here I am, the Cold Girl! I whine every chance I get about the heat, reminding everyone that you can always get warm -- build a fire, snuggle up with someone. But there's little you can do to get cool other than stand in front of a fan and not move.

Lucky for everyone that I will NOT be talking about seasons on Wednesday!

[Ann]

Hi Mary Anna! sounds like you are right where you should be ... in SUMMER! :-) Here's wishing you a great season: in weather, life, everything.

[Mary Anna Evans]

Thanks, Ann! Happy summer to you and to all the other LadyKillers and to our wonderful readers!

[Priscilla]

I love your post! If only my tomato plant would channel a bit of Florida... I will go out and sing the State song to it.

[Mary Anna Evans]

Priscilla, my tomatoes are battling bravely with the fungi and viruses and nematodes that go along with this gloriously hot and wet weather. I think things are tough all over for tomatoes. Still, despite the beasties, I'm getting enough tomatoes that they grace my table a few times a week and I have enough to share with a few cherished friends.