Spring at 7000 feet….

Is not exactly what I expected. I am rounding the bend in completing my first full year in Flagstaff, and along with that, my first experience of all four seasons at 7000 feet. I guess I should have been better prepared for what that experience might be like. Spring has been interesting, and challenging for me. I have realized how much I look forward to that magical re-greening of the world around me and that warming up that comes along with spring. It is not so much that it is not happening in Flagstaff, it is just much more erratic and slower than I anticipated it would be.

Sidebar: why is it that in every place you live, long-timers likes to take such pride and pleasure in informing you that “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a while and it will change.” Perhaps they don’t realize this little phenomenon is not quite as unique to their own long-term locale as they like to think it is? I am pretty sure I have heard that in every part of the country in which I have lived. Granted, experiencing rain, hail, snow, and sunshine before noon was perhaps a bit more extreme than most weather experiences I have had in recent memory!

In some ways, I have struggled with spring mountain weather more than I have the cold winter. In the winter, I expected to be cold and to bundle up. There was something a little magical about everything being covered in a blanket of whiteness every so often. Now, I am ready for cute skirts and sandals. My sweaters and me need a break from each other. There have been some teasers along the way that have fooled me into thinking that spring has truly arrived.

The last couple of weeks have tried to squash my hopes with several bouts of snow that have tested the limits of my patience. To make things worse, each snow has been preceded by that beautiful spring-like warm weather that I have been craving. I have included a few pictures of our most recent snow to show the juxtaposition of the gradual approach of spring with the snow that actually stuck. Crazy, right? That along with the constant high velocity, bone-chilling winds have, honestly, made me second guess choosing to live in Flag. Looking on the bright side? I had to chuckle at the series of Facebook updates that my Dallas friends made from their closets and bathrooms last night as they hunkered down for a tornado warning. Not really a spring concern here.

Everyone keeps promising that June is amazing here, and I do remember how nice July seemed to be, so I am optimistic for the future. I also have to admit that I spent a few minutes outside today on my lunch break enjoying the sunshine, and I caught myself almost complaining to myself about how warm I was getting. Needless to say, I nipped that in the bud! Bring it, sunshine!