Saturday, March 20, 2010

You say "winter" like it's a bad thing

The night before the first official day of spring, I went to bed only to lie awake listening to the sound of children’s voices, squealing in that pre-summer delight, cars roaring down the main road and music from the neighbor behind me. I tossed and turned, on my back, on my side, back on my back. I admit, I went to bed rather early for a Friday night, it was 9:30. Still, what are those kids doing outside at this time of night? They weren’t teenagers; they definitely were elementary school age or younger.

It was a warm evening, a beautiful night actually. Way too warm for the 19th of March. I was in San Francisco yesterday and it was 77 degrees. Hot for the city. And I’m already dreading the heat coming in the next 6 months ahead.

This morning I woke early, 3:00 am to be exact. I couldn’t sleep so I got up, made myself some mint tea, checked my email, read a little bit of the news on the web. Did you hear Lindsay Lohan might be banned from India!!!!! OMG! I went back to bed around 5:30 hoping to fall back asleep. It wasn’t long before the birds began chirping wildly. Every spring this happens here. There are a few trees next to my bedroom window which apparently is the hot spring break destination for all the birds in Napa. I love the sound of a few birds, but I am not exaggerating, there are hundreds that gather here. (I could be stretching this, but only slightly). This could almost be another present day Alfred Hitchcock thriller. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dshehPH_1ow  So, just as I was contemplating “how to kill a mockingbird” my thoughts were intruded upon by the dreaded leaf blower.  A few minutes later the lawnmower. It was like sitting in a school auditorium listening to a really bad high school band.  I am going out of my mind! Quiet, please be quiet. My already pounding headache that has been visiting me since Wednesday has now become the bass drum for the band.

As I have gotten older I like the summer season less and less. It hit me this morning that it isn’t so much the temperature of the summer as it is the noise of summer. Maybe if I lived in the country or at least on a large parcel of land I wouldn’t be bothered like this. But this urban manmade noise is irritating beyond belief. I am not the kind of person who wakes up in the morning and turns on the TV or any other noise making device except for my coffee pot, which noise it emits is very short-lived. I like to sit quietly for a good hour or so. That is why I have always made it a point to get up extra early. I cherish those two or three hours when most people are still drooling on their pillow.

Fall and winter as such quiet times. They are more in line with the likes of the hopeless romantic. There is such a peaceful hush to the world. People are inside or at least the outdoor activities are more site specific, like skiing or hiking, in places where that is what all of the people are doing. Not screaming in the backyard as your older brother turns the hose on you. Fall and winter are soft, nurturing, and safe. They feel like cashmere and smell like freshly baked banana bread. I guess I just need comfort right now and I am so not ready for this boisterous springtime energy. Please, I just need a few more weeks that begin with a slight chill in the air, an early morning fog that rolls in, a few more cups of French hot chocolate with vanilla infused whipped creme and time to break in my new black boots.


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