Dear
George,
Weatherwise,
Cincinnati is right on the edge. We seem to be done with the snow and
ice, and the temperatures at night drop below freezing only about half the
time. On the other hand, there aren’t many budding blossoms to be
found. We seem to be right at the juncture between winter and spring --
sort of a transitional period that might be called “springinter”, or maybe “wintpring”.
It makes me wonder why we get so rigid about dividing the year into four
seasons anyway. In southern India
the Hindu calendar recognizes six seasons: Vasanta (Spring), Grishma (Summer),
Varsha (Monsoon), Sharad (Autumn), Hemanta (Fall Winter), and Shishira
(Winter).* Cincinnati usually has
six or seven distinct seasons, though the authorities have never formally
recognized this. I set off to Burnet Woods with my camera the other day
to pinpoint just what season we’re in this week. Here is what I found
out.
It’s just as
I thought. Half of these pictures could well have been taken in early
January. Despite the lack of snow,
they are wintry as can be. The
other half, with their little spriglets of spring peeking out, could only have
been taken after mid-March. Since full-fledged spring is imminent and winter is
steadily backing away, I think “springinter” is the best name for our current
circumstances. I am posting this photographic
evidence in the hope that a professional climatologist will come across it and
take appropriate action. In the
meantime, we’ll wait patiently for the balmy breezes.
Love,
Dave
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