In grade school either in text books, or worksheets, or printed on a colorful poster with cartoony drawings it is taught that there are indeed four season. Say them with me now: Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall (or Autumn if you so choose). Question: why does Fall get two names? Anyway-the point being their are indeed four season. No more, no less. Not even during a leap year. Neither El Nino nor global warming can change this. We have four seasons. Done.
Unless you live in Texas. Well, I guess I can only speak of Fort Worth because I've never lived anywhere else in Texas, but there are clearly more than four seasons in Fort Worth, Texas. There is Fall, which hits about mid November and quickly leads to Winter. Winter has its fair share of below freezing weather and usually we get a good snow in at least for a day or two. Then comes spring. Spring lasts for approximately three weeks, long enough to get photographs taken with the roadside bluebonnets and then BOOM, it's Summer. Summer lasts for six months-typically April through September.
Then comes...Second Spring? Second Spring is that few weeks where we can enjoy a bit cooler weather, and are reminded what rain is. It's during this time that the grass grows again and the leaves on the trees turn green...before they eventually turn those warm Autumn colors. Welcome to Second Spring.
Second Spring is always nice at first because my grass begins to grow again and sort of lets me know that it isn't dead and gone forever, which I always assume it is. I mean, that crunching sound underfoot during those Summer months are never a reassuring sense, yet every Second Spring the grass perks right up and says, "I was here the whole time, underground, shielding my green skin from the sun! Just wanted to stand up, stretch my legs a bit before I go down for the big sleep, the one that lasts until the First Spring!" Second Spring is a sort of odd feeling in and of itself. It's out of place. It's the awkward person in the room that says things that relate to nothing but no one has the heart to ask the reasons why. It isn't like First Spring-or Original Spring-where the world feels like it was hibernating, staying inside for weeks at a time; burning fire in our fireplaces and wrapping scarves around our necks, emerging only when we see those first signs of Original Spring. Those buds on the tips of the trees. The days warming ever so slightly. Cold mornings that fade into warm days, those days where I can start off with a coat and be in short sleeves by early afternoon. Ah! so refreshing is Original Spring. Refreshing because by the time Original Spring arrives we are ready for it! We've been waiting for it! We've been shivering in our shoes for six weeks (the average Texas winter)! All the signs of Original Spring start showing up. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, troubadours discover new inspiration and begin writing their suggestive songs of nature's version of match.com: SPRING!
So, what about Second Spring? Well, Second Spring comes at a sort of awkward time during the year. You see, Fall sort of ushers in the holidays-you know-Pumpkin Spice Latte season! October is all about Halloween. November, Thanksgiving which gives way to Winter and the Father of all other holidays Christmas. Anyway, after having sweat it out for half a year during our incredibly long Summer we are ready for Fall, just as we were ready for Original Spring. We are ready to open the windows and let the cool air come fill up our homes. We are ready for the colors to start changing on the trees and to start putting on long sleeves and long pants and begin planning holiday events, Halloween parties, Christmas shopping, looking forward to Grandma's turkey on Thanksgiving Day! We busy ourselves and our minds with Fall. Advertisers change their campaigns, retail stores stock their shelves with winter items, and-like I said-tastebuds start warming towards hot cocoa, pumpkin pies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and banana pudding. Then it starts to rain. And it rains for a while. The rain comes and then goes and then comes again. The skies turn cloudy and the rain drops fall towards Texas and things turn green again, but this time the birds-you know-they are already here. And the flowers, yeah they've been blooming for a while now because we've had to keep watering them on our own-no thanks to Summer. The hibernation has been over for six, seven, eight long months. Everyone asks what the heck is Spring doing back? Second Spring is the house guest who has warn out their welcome, and the day comes to drive them back to the airport (Hallelujah), so you drive and drop them off and say your good byes and drive back home and sit on your couch and say to yourself, "It's so nice to just be back in my house by myself again...sigh..." when the doorbell rings and they're back again. Apparently there were some problems at the airport and they can't leave for another few days and by the way, the cab driver needs some money.
The good news is, it will go away, and it will go away soon. Maybe not soon enough, but usually after Halloween. Hopefully sooner. It will go straight from Second Spring into Fall and the nights will grow cold and the days will get cooler and the leaves in the trees will start to turn, but don't expect it to last for any real length of time. It seems that as soon as they start to turn, they promptly fall from the branches. I still find I am able to enjoy Fall thoroughly enough what with the holidays firmly in place that help make it enjoyable. Still I find myself yearning for those crisp Fall days of cool weather and blue, blue skies. Those mornings filled with light and color and lighter attitudes as our attention focuses on upcoming holidays, gift giving, family, and the hope that a new year brings. Yes, Second Spring, you did your thing, you let yourself be known, but I think it's time for you to go. Please, we already spent some time with you this year, don't be like Summer and over stay your welcome. Sorry Spring it just isn't the same the second time around.
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