The past couple of years have been quite snow free in March.
But this year seems an exception.
And I really want to go camping.
But hopefully soon the snow will be gone.
Spring
I Love Spring
There are relatively few weeks of the year when it’s still relatively cool, and Upstate New York has the fresh color of spring.
Where one can see bright oranges, reds and yellows in the tulip beds.
Whites, Oranges, and Greens.
And while beautiful spring time weather will be replaced with summer weather within weeks, there is much to enjoy.
Spring is such an amazing season.
Green Trees
Spring Really Ain’t Here
In recent days it has started to warm up. The snow has largely disappeared except from the most sheltered areas by recent warm temperatures. The ground is throughly soggy and mud is everywhere. Yet, I am not foolish enough to believe just because the calender says that we are officially in spring, that it really is spring for sure.
We can still very much so get snow fall this late in March and into April. Some of our biggest snow storms of the year occur in late March, as weather closest to 32 degrees produces the most snow. It can still get well below freezing and quite cold at night. Winter doesn’t end the middle of March in Albany.
Yet, we can all take some refreshment in knowing that within a month the world will start to regain the amazing color of spring. Light greens on the trees and the greening of the grass becomes a deep green that will last through out the summer. The warm days in the lower 50s rapidly become warm days in the 70s, where you just want to soak up as much sun.
It may say spring on the calender, but it ain’t really here. Yet, it is still just around the corner.
Spring (May 12, 2008)
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Daylight Saving Time
This week starts daylight saving time, when we set our clocks back an hour to make the days appear an hour longer then usual. That means that we will have to get up an hour earlier to make it through our usual schedule, but we also will get an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. The first few weeks of savings time promise to be dark in the morning, but the extra light in the evening is greatly appreciated.
The actual energy savings is questionable with so many Americans dependent on artificial cooling to make their houses cool at night. But the benefit is far greater then less energy use. It means that we have more time in the evenings to get out and explore the natural world. There is nothing quite as comforting as seeing natural light and getting some of that warm fresh air in a spring or summer evening.
It’s terrible that so many of us are imprisoned in fortresses all day that keep as away from the natural world we all are so dependent on. But with daylight savings time, we have more time to get outdoors before darkness overtakes the sky and makes it difficult to work outside without the help of the moonlight or bright flashlights. That extra day light regenerates us and allows us to have more time outdoors, that we might otherwise spend indoors.
If people learned to embrace the heat and avoid their demands for air conditioning all the time, then daylight savings time would decrease energy use. If people where sensible, then daylight savings time would mean less use of artificial lighting, and less use of electronic toys. Daylight savings time is really an asset for all Americans, especially if they choose to embrace it’s benefits.