Thursday, March 20, 2008

It's Spring. Boo Yay.

I hate spring. Ok, I know I'm weird. But out of all four seasons, it's my least favorite. My ranking of seasons, in terms of favorite-ness:

1) Fall
2) Winter
3) Summer
4) Spring

I love fall because it's a cool light at the end of our heat-blast tunnel. Fall means that eventually, the temperature will be bearable again. It's not bearable yet, but it will be. At some point. I love fall because - FOOTBALL! Leaves, pumpkins, Halloween! And school starts! Well, actually school starts in the summer here, but metaphorically, fall = start of school. And who doesn't love that? I mean, besides the people that actually have to go.

Winter is awesome, because it's COOL. Temperature-wise and Fonz-type coolness-wise also. It means we can actually go outside and do stuff and not swelter and die. We can wear jeans! And shirts with sleeves that extend past your mid upper-arm! To the wrist, even! Occasionally, even a jacket. How awesome is that? Did I mention that we can actually go outside and do stuff? Take kids somewhere besides the pool or the mall? I know that swimming sounds great, theoretically. And it is...for the first three months or so. After that, they're like, "We're going to the pool, AGAIN?" I remember August of 2002, when I was very pregnant with Kylie, who was born on Sept. 3rd. When my then 10 and 7 year old started complaining that they were bored with swimming, I said "I don't care. We are going to the pool, and we are going to spend the day in it every day all day until I deliver this freaking baby. I can't stand being anywhere else." Ok, maybe it wasn't quite that harsh, but you get the point.

You would think that summer would be my least favorite season in a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. But no. Summer is just hot. Once it gets that hot, you just deal with it. You stay inside or in the water. If you must go out, you turn the car on first and let it run for a few minutes, in hopes that the a/c will get going a little and cool the car off enough that the kids won't whine about how stinking hot it is in the car. You start driving, and after about 5 minutes the a/c starts to do its job, the car cools off, and you can remove the oven mitts from your hands. Then you get to your destination, which will be wonderfully air-conditioned and cool inside, and will be somewhere where spending money is required. Of course, there will not be any parking in the shade, so by the time you come out of wherever you are, the inside of your car will be a toasty 180 degrees. Then the a/c will blow hot air for a few minutes until the engine gets all revved up, and there will be more whining, (mostly from me) until the car starts to cool down again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Spring is the worst. Today, the high was about 85. Warm (too warm for my taste), but not unbearable. What spring does is remind you that the unbearable is coming. For this reason, it's my most-hated season. It lets you know that we're about ready to start the months of unrelenting, skin-baking, furnace-blasting heat. I lived in Albuquerque for about 3 months once, and in Denver for about 9 months. I was in both places for the summer. It gets hot during the summer in Alb, sometimes 100. But you know what? It cools off at night. Same with Denver...it sometimes gets into the 90s, and that's hot for there. But again...it cools off at night. I think that's what makes our heat so...ridiculous. In the summer, it will still be 100 degrees at 10pm. Our low might be 90. There's no opening your windows at night to cool the house off. The a/c runs all. the. time. And spring is just here to remind me...nay, to taunt me, that summer is coming. Quickly.

And now that I've told you why I absolutely hate spring...here's a cute little picture of Kylie riding her bike at the park today. Enjoy it now, kid...the heat doth approach. And I swear, if one person says to me, "Oh, but it's a dry heat there!", I'm going to come to your house and shove your head in your oven. Because that's a dry heat too.


9 comments:

Jen said...

Let me guess...you hate spring. I actually like spring except the allergies. I like the cool mornings and cool evenings, but I do know what is coming and that does suck. Spring means baseball...well I guess here it is all year, but the spring season is fun,except we don't finish until June and then it's the oven thing you described. I'm babbeling, can you tell I'm bored at work?

Shelley said...

Hey, they let you on the internets at work! Wheee! Hi. Yeah, spring, yuck. We went to Tumbleweed today, Kylie and I were outside while Shannon was in the rec center. It was nice to sit out there, underneath the big playground shade thing. In the sun I would have been hot! I made K play in the shade most of the time, because I forgot sunscreen of course. Time to stock up.

Anonymous said...

I hate the wet of spring. The kids want to go out 'cuz they've been cooped up. But, they go out and it's mud central.

Seriously though...85? We're supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow today in my neck of the woods.

Shelley said...

It's so weird because it's the opposite here of most places. I know you all are stuck inside during the winter. We're just stuck inside during the summer. And the summer seems to go on f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I'm sure you feel the same way about the snow. Snow seems like a lot of fun to me and I wish we had some. But I'm sure that gets old after a while, just like the heat does. yeah, 85...crazy, huh?

Anonymous said...

I was going to say the same thing (about it just being the opposite).I have 2 inches of snow on the ground as I type, and 6 more on the way....yes, 8 inches of snow. And it's been snowing off and on (mostly on!) since November. I am SICK of snow.

My fave is fall too, for all of the above (smells, leaves, football!) but spring comes in second...because there's that hope that all the snow will be gone!

Of course, our summers aren't as hot as you, but we do get 90-107 most of the time here...and there IS a difference with that damn humidity that you feel like you're sucking in through a wet washcloth. And we have to run the AC at night alot too.

We can't win...and if you can't beat them...just bitch about it! ;)

Mary said...

Fall is my least favorite season. Between Allergies and my whiny husband constantly bitching cuz he wishes he could be hunting instead of living here where there is no wildlife, lets move back honey, please lets move back. ugh. I hate fall! By winter, he's just pouting quietly and sulking. And I'm loving that my friends and family are all jealous that I'm not buried under a ton of snow like they are. Ha ha! Then spring/summer rolls around and YAY we're all happy again! Thankfully it cools off at night here most of the time. For about a month or so its unbearable but otherwise I'm pretty happy with it. Sure beats the tundra!

For the car, I freeze milkjugs of water and we each grab one on our way out the door as you pass by the freezer. Get your ice jug! Then when we park - you put your jug in your seat and cover it with a beach towel. When you come back, the seat is nice and cool and the buckles on the baby's carseat don't burn the crap outa her.

Just don't forget to grab your jug!!!

Anonymous said...

Guess I wont be spouting the merits of a dry heat to you (we live too close together and I am afraid you might actually put my head in the oven!!) Cute picture! Looks like she loves spring!! KLM

Shelley said...

Lish - I guess my biggest complaint is that it lasts so long. We're supposed to hit 90 today. Normal for this time of year? 75. 75 would be nice. I was in Virginia two summers ago, right around the 4th of July, so yeah, I know humid is gross. We get it here too, when the monsoons start, except instead of 95 degrees with 95% humidity, we get 110 with 70% humidity. I've felt both, and both are pretty disgusting.

Mary - I love your milk jug idea! I don't have enough freezer space for everyone to have their own jug, but I definitely might try keeping one in there, for Kylie's booster seat. You have a husband that bitches too, huh? Mine doesn't bitch about hunting, but he finds other things. In fact, he'd love to move to your neck of the woods...we were just there this past October, but there's no way in hell we could afford it. I told him to find a job that pays him a couple hundred thousand a year, then we'd talk about it. Or maybe I just thought that in my head.

K - You can't tell me that by the time October rolls around and it's still 100 degrees, that you aren't like, "Enough already!" lol Plus, I would never shove your head in the oven. I'd be afraid that Gabe would kick my ass. ;) Well, that and I like you. lol

Anonymous said...

I think I'll use that milk jug idea -- and I put a mitt over my gearshift so I don't burn hell out of my hand. But those damn seat belts latches get me everytime. And the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture of Kylie was "I hope she's wearing sunblock". Damn, I've lived here for almost 11 years now. Doesn't that make me a native?? See ya! -- Bonnie