Last Friday night (Good Friday) I went for a walk to the Grotto on campus. For those who don't know what a Grotto is (as I didn't before I came here), ours is a little outdoor alcove filled with votive candles you can light, a couple of statues/sculptures of the Virgin Mary, and benches in front to kneel and pray. While I was kneeling praying, I had a tough time remembering I was celebrating EASTER holidays and not Christmas. Why? Because it was below freezing! Easter to me has always been the quintessential Spring holiday; on the secular level, Easter celebrates new life, often seen in the Spring. (Hence Easter eggs and Easter candy in the shape of chicks, bunny rabbits, flowers, etc). I was having a tough time with the juxtaposition of Easter in sub-freezing weather.
Well, lucky for us, yesterday was (finally) the first day of spring weather here in the Bend. It went up to like fifty-five degrees! Sure, for you Texans reading, you are thinking "55?!?! I'm still in sweaters and long underwear at that temperature!" But up here, it's the exact opposite. It seemed like the whole population emerged from its long winter hibernation; everyone was out in shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops, running, throwing frisbees or baseballs, lying on the grass studying, just going for walks...
Today is day 2 of Spring. According to weather.com it is currenly 59 degrees and is going up to 66. I am wearing (get ready) a three-quarters length shirt and FLIP FLOPS!!! (I'm still not hearty enough to wear shorts when it's in the 50s, like the rest of folks here.) Granted, I had to wear a windbreaker on top, but this is a big breakthrough in weather, folks, particularly given that last Thursday it was snowing.
Some people say that having winter makes you appreciate spring more. I agree that I am much more excited about the weather this March than I was during Houston Marches. However, being in warmer weather clothing makes me miss the gorgeous Texas weather! I'll trade three months of extreme Houston heat for 4-5 months of the Bend's arctic cold any day.
4 comments:
I appreciate each and every day that I get to be some place that has a pretty day between 50F and 80F - I think that means I should get to move some place that is always like that!
Tim, it's called San Diego.
It makes me so happy to picture you breaking out the flip-flops! :)
wow. on easter i froze my ass off on the way to church and it was 54. i guess i'm just a big wus. right now it 86 and gorgeous. if only this would last. if not...tim, let's go!
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