Not Quite Summer – Yet

We probably would have trouble telling what month it is, if it weren’t for the internet. The weather has been no help identifying the seasons either. It still gets into the 40s at night and the average high during the day is 50/60. When I lived in Alabama, I’d whine, “What happened to Spring?” Most states south of the Mason Dixon line often plunged into summer-like temps as early as March. Need I remind you that we had snow in northern Idaho this past April?

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. 

Mark Twain

The weather up here is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’ve lived in many different states (IA, TX, FL, SC, TN, GA and AL). All the locals say that these cool temps in June are not the norm. Nor was the rainy spring or the light amount of snow we got in the winter. This all causes me to wonder, what IS normal? Does anyone live anywhere that is cold and snowy in the winter? Breezy and cool in the Spring? Hot and sunny in the Summer? Crisp and cool in the Fall? Well, if you do, I don’t think THAT’S normal 😉

When the sun does pop out I cannot bear to be inside. Here in Idaho, the sunshine warms my bones like it has no where else on this earth. Wearing shorts to hike to the mailbox feels like it did in parochial school when we were given a break from wearing our uniforms. What a treat. Last weekend, during a sunny afternoon, 2 of the chickens laid out in the sun with me, right next to my chair. I was amused and appreciative of their company (since my favorite lay-out  buddy lives about as far away as one can get in the continental US).

The mountainsides are a lush green (thanks to the mega amounts of spring rain). The bugs are few (thanks to the winter freezes). When the sun does shine, it’s warm without melting me (thanks to no humidity). The calendar says June, but it doesn’t feel like any summer I’ve ever experienced. I guess I should be happy about that, since this quaint little cabin has zero air conditioner installed (yet).