Summer Me

To paraphrase a line from William Shakespeare’s Richard the Third, Act 1, scene 1, “[Then was] the winter of our discontent.”

Gone are weeks upon weeks of unseasonably cold days and freezing nighttime temperatures, testing the wills of people with the mindset that the Sunshine State should always and forever provide weather conditions conducive to wearing shorts, T-shirts, tank tops and sandals as they bask in the sun beneath the shade of beach umbrellas on sandy beaches or lounging on open air pool decks with coolers filled with such thirst quenchers as bottled water and cans of beer.

Whew! We sure missed out on a lot this past winter! The proof of the matter came with a report from the National Weather Service that the average temperatures in the Tampa Bay area were about seven degrees below normal, the coldest winter since 1914 when data were first kept.

Surely, these past months have led to many a conversation that reinforced some people’s beliefs that the global warming scenario is more a contrived script of fiction than it is a fact of scientific research. Never mind international government assessments to the contrary – a statement released last fall from the G-20 Summit read, “We underscore anew our resolve to take strong action to address the threat of dangerous climate change.”

The few reprieves from global warming chitter-chatter were worrisome exchanges on health care reform, the unwavering disdain between Republicans and Democrats, and the squabble mongering from Tea Party enthusiasts. The unknowns of the health care bill are so numerous that the debate will go on and on for years, as will the daily droll about the weather.

And yet, some of us truly appreciated the brisk, fresh air that provided a respite from using no-drip 12-hour pump pray mists for temporary relief from constant bouts of inflammation of the nasal passages. Too soon, airborne pollen put an end to those free-breathing days; colorful patches of yellow still lay in contrast to the gray-painted floor on my back porch.

People who may have suffered most of all are those stricken with hypothyroidism. Layers upon layers of clothes, including sweatshirts and insulated coats, still left some in bone-rattling shivers. Even prescribed medications were unable to overcome the symptoms of the disease. Since I couldn’t imagine the discomfort, empathy was replaced with sympathy by turning up the thermostat a few degrees.

Fortunately, spring is now securely upon us with daytime temps hovering around eight degrees and, finally, the opportunity to get a little burned while soaking up the warmth of the sun. Caution: melanoma can be safely treated in its early stages – otherwise the cancer can be a life-threatening disease. But, oh, isn’t it so worth it to wear upon the face and body a deep, dark tan?

Within weeks, sunshine supermen will be mowing, trimming, landscaping and sweating under the blazing hot sun through twelve-hour days of sunlight. Soon, a growing number of pickup trucks will be on the roads hauling lawn equipment and loads of debris on trailer-beds. As they add to traffic congestion, and annoy the heck out of aggressive drivers and scare the pants off timid slowpokes, get over yourself and be grateful that hundreds of your fellow citizens will spend a few months making money that hasn’t been there since last fall.

In this economic climate, the added flow of currency will lead to an increase in consumer spending, thus bringing income to local businesses that will need to replace inventory and perhaps add to their payrolls. Anyway, that’s the way capitalism is supposed to work as a means to get us out of our economic doldrums. Most of us have a relative, friend or neighbor who will benefit from what will hopefully be a work-filled rainy season.

We’re also just a few weeks away from hurricane season. It’s an unknown equation but meteorologists foresee increased activity, quite different from the past few years. If El Nino weakens this year as predicted, Florida may see its first named hurricane hit landfall since Wilma crossed over the southern part of the state in October 2005.

That said, a heavy rainfall might also shake and shimmy your home and bodies as layers of limestone crumble beneath the sandy surface and create the dreaded sinkhole.

Never mind the falderal. It's all iffy stuff anyway. Duke ended March Madness winning the 2010 NCAA Tournament Championship. Tiger Woods is back in the swinger’s circuit in the Masters. The Red Sox won the MLB season opener. There you have it – baseball, the quintessential sign of summer. Water parks, barbeques and vacation trips are just a flip of the calendar away.

Winter has passed. Spring is here. But to quote Henry James, “Summer afternoon, Summer afternoon… the two most beautiful words in the English language.”