Beverly Godfrey: Premature hopes for spring

On the one hand, it’s easy to believe spring has arrived. I’ve left my jacket behind on a couple of outings. My dog spent an afternoon stretched out on the sunny deck. I turned off the electric baseboard heat in the living room.
But on the other hand, we’ve all been burned before - or frozen before, I should say, with late-season snowstorms and Easter weekends covered in ice.
Yep, Duluth springs are fickle. They come and leave and return and leave again, then freeze one more time before staying for real. So I might not be wearing my jacket, but it’s still in the car. The roads might be clear, but my little shovel and bucket of ice melter are with me, too. Gloves are in my purse, hat in my pocket. Boots? Well, they’re still on my feet, of course.
I left work one day last week with all my stuff on. After one block of walking toward where my car was parked, I took off my hat. Then I unzipped my jacket. I loosened the scarf. Then took the jacket off.
But I didn’t take off my gloves until was already in my car, preparing to drive home. I realized the steering wheel didn’t feel frozen, and I could hold it in my bare hands.
It’s funny that my gloves would be the last thing I took off because in the fall, they’re the last to be added. Gloves are inconvenient, making it harder to dig change out of my purse or buckle my kid into his car seat.
So in the late fall, I’m reluctant to believe winter has arrived. It doesn’t sink in until that day when I try to get from my house to the car without gloves and realize I’m going to freeze my skin if I don’t cover up. This is usually when it hits about 20 degrees. But in the spring, I don’t take the gloves off again until it hits about 50.
So I guess I’m slow to adjust, and now I need to adjust again. Soon, I’ll feel safe not even carrying gloves with me. My hat will get stuffed back in a drawer, long johns will remain at the bottom of my dresser drawer. I won’t even remember what cold weather feels like.
The changing seasons seem to always be treated with a sense of wonder and surprise. The weather warms up, and we’re delighted. We all pretend it isn’t temporary. We buy flowers and plant gardens with the utmost optimism. And that’s good because what choice do we have?
Twenty years ago this summer, I was married in an outdoor ceremony. I picked July because it’s the only month on record during which it has not snowed in Duluth. That’s right; Duluth has seen a dusting of snow on June 1 and Aug. 31. And for those keeping track, June is three months away.
But even though we probably will be hit by the cold again this season, I’ve been celebrating the sun and warmth.
And for what it’s worth, I’ve noticed that dandelions seem to know when warm weather is here to stay. The first time I see a hill covered with yellow is always a happy day.
I know it’s too early to wish it, but I hope that day will be here soon.

Beverly Godfrey is a News Tribune copy editor and columnist. You can reach her at bgodfrey@duluthnews.com .