Spring?

This is the fourth Spring that we've lived in Connecticut. Would it surprise you if I told you that there are some differences in the weather in Connecticut and my home state of Texas?

In Connecticut . . .

• We can never put away our sweatshirts. After two weeks of perfect 70 degree sunny days (which followed a chilly morning where we needed a light jacket), the forecast for the better part of the week is April Showers and temperatures no warmer than 61.
• I know that although the calendar ushers in Spring on March 20, here in the frozen Northeast, my only indicator of Spring at that time was the advent of Katrina's Spring Reading Thing.
• Because the weather goes from being inhospitable to rather lovely, the children revel in it. Because Kyle begins spending much time outside, and being outside means playing in the dirt, daily baths become the order of the day. If I was a better housekeeper, daily bathtub cleaning would also be in order, because he definitely leaves a ring.
• Spring green really exists. I love watching the verdant green leaves come out on the lawns and on the formerly bare tree branches.
  

In Texas . . .

• We always kept T-shirts and shorts or capris handy. Whether it's March or December, a week of season-appropriate weather was likely to be followed by temperatures topping 80 degrees.
• The calendar is also not a fair indicator of Spring. By the end of March, we had likely already experienced many of those 80 degree days. When we visited family one February, I of course packed some short-sleeved shirts, but it happened to be particularly warm, and so I had to buy some flip flops to rescue my feet from all the closed-toed shoes I had brought from Connecticut.
• Because the weather is always temperate in Houston, certainly as compared to other parts of the country, people become quite picky about the sort of day that will drive them outdoors. If it's 60 and sunny, but a little windy, the parks won't be crowded. They'll wait for 75 and not humid for the perfect park-day. 82 with a chance of thunderstorms? Better not plan a trip to the zoo, because it might rain. In the Summer it's always warm, but 92 is too hot to do anything but swim, so they'll be indoors then as well.
• Texas is an evergreen state. While some trees will lose their leaves, they are so confused by the swing of temperatures that we never saw the explosion of new growth with the onset of warm weather.
  

We enjoyed our two weeks of Spring, and I know they'll be back. Yesterday we planted our vegetable garden (while wearing sweatshirts) in hopes that the sun will actually warm the plants and help them to grow. Come July, we'll hopefully be enjoying corn, broccoli (a first for us), tomatoes and peppers.