Having lived most of my adult years in the southwestern part of the United States, I have often felt deprived of the lack of four distinct seasons of the year, and slightly envious of those who live in other corners of the country.
Family and friends who live in the Pacific Northwest have four seasons. They enjoy the gradual warm-up of spring, the bounty of summer flowers and veggies, the beauty of autumn leaves and the gentle quiet of snowy winters.
I, on the other hand, enjoy a year that consists of mostly two types of weather. We have balmy spring where temperatures bounce from the low 40s to the high 80s in sometimes less than a 24 hour period. And summer days with sometimes blistering 100+ degree days that go on for weeks with no relief of rain or breeze. Autumn consists of days with low 80s and nights of high 60s . And then winter comes along with night time freezes followed by daytime heat waves, requiring the air conditioner to bounce from heating to cooling in the craziest of weather cycles.
And so I’ve decided that I can’t base my seasons on the traditional calendar. Instead, I have decided that my seasons will be based around holidays and special events and family-related activities .
Here’s how my calendar is going to run:
From the day after Thanksgiving until the day after Valentine’s day shall be Winter. That gives approximately 3 months to enjoy every excuse to eat lots of yummy food (especially the chocolate kind), to celebrate the birth of my Savior with family and friends, to read lots of great books, to do some indoor crafty stuff (knitting and sewing come to mind but there could be some photo-related crafts in there too).
From February 15 until the day after Easter shall be Spring. Time for planting and gardening chores, doing some indoor cleaning and de-cluttering. And cutting back on the yummy foods of Winter, with exception of Valentine candies, GirlScout cookies, and chocolate Easter bunnies. I spend my reading time pouring through the pages of the seed catalogs that have filled my mailbox, and laying out plans for the future garden in my mind and sometimes on paper. And Spring is time for celebrating the resurrection of my Lord. Yes, it’s a short window of time, maybe 6 weeks at best, but there is a lot involved, so one could consider it as a very condensed season that has more to it than meets the eye.
From the day after Easter until October 30 shall be Summer. This is the season to travel and to see grandkids and cousins and friends, and to eat all the fruits and veggies that were planted in spring, and to enjoy baseball games and fishing trips and river floats. It’s a grand time to read some absolutely frivolous books that have no value other than making you feel good. And it’s a wonderful time to just sit and look at the wonders of God’s glorious world. You might notice that this is an extended period of time, like maybe closer to six months instead of the traditional three. But remember that it’s my calendar and I like summer best so I’m making it the longest season in my year.
And then we will have Autumn, which starts on Halloween day and lasts until Thanksgiving day. It’s a very short window but there is not much to do during this time frame, except maybe visit to a part of the country that has brisk mornings and warm days and leaves of every color. Or at least take a virtual trip through the travel books that have been piling up through the summer. (And finishing off the leftover trick-or-treat candy.) The best part of the Autumn season is taking a day to celebrate with my family and friends by giving thanks for all that God has given to me.
And that brings us full-circle back to winter. Which, according to my calendar,
is officially over
as of today and so it is now Spring!
And so I have a lot to do and a short time to get it done. I have baby tomato plants to repot and fruit trees to plant, along with new rose bushes to put into my memorial garden in honor of Papa Wayne and my friend Patsy. I have closets to clean and clothes to take to the donation box. And I have seed catalogs to linger over. I have my Valentine’s box to nibble my way through, along with my supply of Girl Scout cookies to enjoy with my afternoon tea. Easter is around the corner so there are little outfits to make and chocolate bunnies to create and plans to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Spring may just prove to be a really close contender to being my favorite season of the year.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
