Never-Ending Moments

It’s interesting, how life works.

I grew up in a city with a never-ending winter.  It would get chilly in September (Indian summers were rare), and sometimes snow in October.  I remember more than one Halloween with flurries on the ground.  I’d skip our high school football games on Thanksgiving morning – mostly because I hate football – but also because it was freezing!  I’d wake up extra early to clean the snow and ice off the car.  It would get dark around 4:30pm.  My sister’s birthday is on March 31 – we celebrated during many blizzards.  It felt like winter would never end.

My sister (left), Mr. Snowman, Me (right)
Winter, early 80s

And now, I live in a city with a never-ending summer.  Once it heats up, it stays hot.  It rains once – maybe twice – from May through October.  The jeans and sweaters and boots get put away for a long time.  The air conditioner runs all day.  It’s 95 degrees by 10am.  I get tired of shaving.  The kids go back to school in mid-August – it was 109 degrees their first week of school.  “You don’t shovel sun,” I like to say, but even that gets old.  Costco already has their Halloween costumes and Nativity scenes on the sales floor, but I still need sunscreen.

My sister (left), Dad, Me
Our annual summer trip down the Cape
Early 80s

I’m ready for some temperate temperatures.  Crisp breezes and crunchy leaves.  Dark jeans and wedge boots.  Hot chocolate and fuzzy scarves.

Is there a city with a never-ending autumn?

OK, I’m getting off my shoebox now.