And the signs are interpreted differently depending on where you are and what your gut -or nose-or eyes- or ears tell you. Seasons provide a variety for us on earth and they slip in quietly, sometimes in starts and stops util their new presence can’t be denied. For instance, though it is only sixteen days to the vernal equinox and an official welcome for spring, our son in Colorado woke up to 27 degrees and snow. That’s good for the skiers who would like to continue swooshing until the end of the month.
However, even though a rain was falling, the outdoor thermometer on a Houston back porch read 71 degrees. Around that number and higher will probably be our start the day temperature til we pass through spring, summer, and maybe late October. My bones tell me, no more snow (one time this year) or freezes and it is safe to scatter seed for summer growth. The air smells fresher. My eyes note small emergences of green where brown leaves fell off and left bare trees in January. The neighbor around the corner has a peach tree with fragrant pink blossoms. If sidewalk strollers can assume the ripening fruit does not belong to them, the tree owners may have an eatable treat in late June. I haven’t heard the doves yet calling, “Who cooks for you?” or seen a red cardinal flash to the feeder, but signs on the street denote that the night herons are building a nest on their usual branch of the oak tree.
And there are always calendar markers not to be taken lightly. Mardi Gras, a mixture of pure fun and ushering in a spiritual season, fills days with parades and tossed treats and nights with galas and fancy dresses. For some, this folds into Ash Wednesday and Lent as a preparation for Easter and a total change of wardrobe. In Houston, we’ve reworked closets and at least had a breather before the beginning of hot, dry, and our forever deep gratitude for air-conditioning. Ecclesiastes 3 covers the gamut of happenings at their specific times, but Song of Solomon can be only for this season and the welcome we offer its appearing again.
For, lo, the winter is past;
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
Song of Solomon 2: 11 – 12
Let Me Tell Ya 