Summer in a Day

Although I’m fairly certain it is a sign of global warming, experiencing a day of seventy degree weather in the middle of February is quite a treat.  I wouldn’t exactly say that I loathe winter, but it is my least favorite season here in Pennsylvania.  I am basically cold from about mid-October until April. This was our backyard on January 26, 2011.  The snow was deep and heavy, and the air frigid.  For weeks this was our view.

This year seems particularly grueling on the cold front.  Two full days off from school in one week, countless two hour delays and hundreds of dollars spent on having the driveway plowed.  And then there are these poor creatures, whose magnificent grace completely distracts me from the fact that they have eaten every flowering plant, bush and tree in my yard.

So for the past two days around here, it felt like Ray Bradbury’s short story, “All Summer in a Day.”  An hour of sunshine amidst seven years of rain.  All of the kids, especially the little one, enjoyed playing outside without cumbersome winter accessories. A brief precursor to the beautiful fall and spring that make us tolerate these winters.  And for a few moments, I felt genuinely warm in February.