Winter

What can I say about this year’s winter in central Virginia?

It’s still winter, according to the calendar. But it’s winter only on the calendar. I’ve had to mow my lawn twice, and the grass was so high the first time that I could barely push the mower through it. I would have mowed before the grass got so tall, but the weather was too hot. (It seems like every year the lawn-mowing season begins earlier and ends later than it did the previous year.) I run the air conditioner in my Jeep when I’m out and about. I turned off my home’s central heat weeks ago when the temperatures began hitting the mid-80s every day. Central Virginia will get a little relief this week, with daytime high temperatures forecast to be “only” in the upper 70s. This is winter?

Maybe not. Winter is pretty much an arbitrary thing. There’s an astronomical winter which, in the U.S., begins on the solstice and ends on the following equinox. There’s a meteorological winter which, in the northern hemisphere, extends over the three coldest months – December, January, and February. In Scandinavia, winter begins on 14 October and ends the last day of February. In Celtic nations such as Ireland, winter is defined as the three month period having the shortest days – November, December, and January. Many countries in Europe recognize St. Martin’s Day (11 November) as the first day of winter. Some countries consider Valentine’s Day (14 February) as the first day of spring. And of course, countries in the southern hemisphere have their winters during the months of June, July, and August.

Year to year, cold weather begins on different dates and ends on different dates. It could be a long, cold winter one year and a short, mild winter the next year. As for me, as long as the weather is cold enough to kill the mosquitoes, I’m happy. After that, I’m ready for spring.