For the first time in her life, my wife being from a country that I think has literally never seen snow, made snow angels, we Okies getting slammed a few weeks ago with a penitential winter storm and sub-zero temps. She found the experience amusing, having to, I kid her, compulsively post it to her FB friends group as she is want to do. Boy that winter storm was brutal for us here in Oklahoma, in that we're just not much prepared for that kind of harsh weather. And what makes this state a bermuda-triangle-like spot on the American map is that we get strange, extreme shifts in the weather. Just a couple days after rare minus zero temps, it was a sunny 70 degrees in February.
Which brings us into March. I expect probably we've seen our last taste of Old Man Winter this year, but then again you never know in Okahoma. April of 2018 we went to OKC to see the zoo one Saturday, should have checked the weather before leaving, because on our way it got cold and it snowed the rest of the day. Oklahoma.
Anyways, I welcome this time of year, with the world coming back to life as planet Earth gets tilts closer to the Sun once again (note: thanks Pon de Replay, a reader, for the astronomical correction; I must've been staring too much at the girls that day in 8th grade Earth science class). It's always a funny thing the change of seasons, how you feel about it. It is a quarterly reminder that everything this side of the afterlife changes, with peaks and valleys, feast and famine, and pleasant vs. unpleasant weather. Me, I am a bit sensitive to weather extremes. The deep humidity of the South here can dampen my mood, like smothering my brain with a hot soggy towel. July and August tends to dull the mind and senses, into a dehydrated, hot brain stupor alleviated by the cooler weather of Fall.
And so this time also is a kind of relief. My favorite season is Fall with the cool, crisp temps, decrease in humidity, Fall colors, campfires and outdoor adventures like deer hunting. But Spring is my second favorite season. By January into February, cabin fever has kicked in, not to mention a touch of seasonal affective disorder if I had to diagnose myself. Days being too short, sunlight too dim, and biological life too stagnant.
So I welcome the warmth of the Sun, the flowering plants, birds and insects coming back out, and the outdoor plans for which better weather calls. The barbeques, picnics, Saturday get-aways to swim at old Blue Hole Spring. You feel like a tired old bear emerging from his hibernation, emerging from his cave, taking a good yawn, gazing up at the Sun, and then going back out into the world to collect honey. As for me, I will be planting a Spring garden later this month in the front yard so the neighbor's can see it grow, about 8' x 40', half of which will be rows of tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, and cucumbers, and the other half entirely sweet potatoes.
The unfolding of Spring is upon us. Next Sunday we have to remember to set our clocks forward, Spring bringing a "springing" forward of the clock. The evenings will be longer and grow longer as we enter into Spring. We plan maybe Saturday a trip to the OKC zoo. Also a trip to Green leaf lake to rent a canoe, and see the Batfish submarine museum in Muskogee on our way home, a must see for the family. Also, a day trip out to Clear Creek monastery should be soon forthcoming, which I find relaxing, the drive to and through the Clear Creek valley being spectacular, praying with the monks, buying some of their cheese and holy cards, and stopping at the Amish bakery on the way home. There is something rejuvinating and educational about just getting out of the city once in a while, taking a drive to a nearby place to site-see, see a museum or old Catholic church, and sample the local food.
Such is the cycle of life I am sure the Good Lord uses as part of His plan of redemption. Deo gratias.
For constructive feedback or just to say hello, contact me at the email below, which I do not check daily.
JosephOstermeir@gmail.com