Whether the Weather

Whether the weather is hot, whether the weather is cold, we’ll be together whatever the weather, whether we like it or not. This fun tongue-twister has been on my mind these past several mornings. As I pull scarves out of my closet, I wonder how many different seasons I might be lucky enough to experience today.

The initial answer is obvious. It is winter. It can only be winter. And until March 20 at 6:45 p.m., when we experience the Vernal Equinox, otherwise known as the First Day of Spring, winter it shall remain. But anyone who has lived in Texas for more than ninety minutes will agree, this thing called winter can be nebulous, indefinable and slightly fuzzy around the edges. A stranger from a strange land unknowingly transported here from across the globe would probably have a difficult time recognizing this odd time of year as winter. Spring teases us with iris blooms while autumn leaves still spiral downward with each icy gust. Every unpredictable moment leaves bedazzled locals and visiting strangers all shaking their heads.

So what season is it? 

Texas is one of the most amazing places to live anywhere on planet earth. There are so many things to do in the area and the climate is perfect. Usually. Matter of fact, whenever you ask anyone the benefits of living in this region, most assuredly they will mention the great weather.  But what about this time of the year, how do we feel about the seemingly schizophrenic weather patterns? The Texas winter weather has most of us feeling confused. The weather is nothing less then befuddling.

Each new day feels like a tempestuous afternoon spent with a cranky nap-deprived two-year-old. He stamps his foot and changes his mind regularly and often.  It was 75 degrees and then suddenly it became 30 degrees. It was raining and then it was sunny. The wind knocked over my lawn chairs while my neighbor’s trash blew down the street. And that all happened before 2 o’clock in the afternoon!  There’s an old Texas proverb that says, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change.” Whoever first said that, clearly was on the inside of a lonestar joke. The ever-changing moments that make up each day can indeed be amusing.

What should I wear today?

But the hardest part is knowing what to wear. That is no laughing matter. The other day, my favorite chilly morning sweater found beads of sweat dripping down my back before lunch! Yesterday, coming out of an afternoon movie, my fleece shrug saw me sprinting to my car to hide from the goose bumps! And if I lose one more pair of gloves, I just might go mad.

Of course, our problems here in South Texas are small. My family on the East Coast never loses their gloves. They never take them off! My sister finds my issues with Texas winter to be wildly amusing. I tried to explain to my dad in New York how tough it is to experience such wild temperature swings. But it just seemed like he wasn’t even listening. He kept repeating, “Wait, it was seventy degrees the other day? Really? Tell me again about the day it was seventy degrees.” From under six feet of snow where their shovels lay buried and hidden until April, I can hear them laughing at me. Is that the sound of cabin fever or delirium? Mountains of snow trapping them inside obscure their front doors. They sit and wonder when the snow will stop coming. As for me, I still can’t decide which scarf to wear.

Now go hug your family.