Our prompt this month asks us to explore Summer vs Winter OR Longest Day vs Shortest Day. With the caveat that Houston pretty much just has nothing but variations on summer for 9 months out of the year, my favorite season is actually Fall (which lasts approximately 3.5 days in Houston!).
Summer is simply too long and miserable here to be enjoyable. Nothing pleasant about realizing that even a 30-minute errand will take you back out to a car that now boasts an internal temperature appropriate for broiling a steak! That water bottle you carelessly left while you ran into Walgreen's? It's now warm and yucky. Insects proliferate in this season too -- most of them the biting or terrifying varieties. Despite the temperate being bath-water warm for most of the summer, lounging in a backyard pool is the only bright spot in the long stretch of days where the temperature will approach or top 100 degrees. Even heading out for a morning walk as dawn breaks isn't going to be terribly pleasant in the summer. Between the heat/humidity, potential for torrential rainstorms and hurricanes (and flooding), and the sheer length of time that summer stretches on here -- it's safe to say summer is not my favorite time of year.
If forced to choose between summer and winter, I suppose I'd choose winter. But, crisp, fall days are my ideal (hoping to retire somewhere that will make that more possible).
The question between the longest day or shortest day is much more interesting and complex for me. I like the coziness of the shortest day (I'm also one of those outliers who actually enjoys the shift to Daylight Savings Time in the fall). BUT, I'm also someone who often laments that there are never enough hours in the day, so on some level maybe I'm more inclined to appreciate the Longest Day more. When I've visited more northern latitudes in the summer months, I've been shocked at those super-long hours of daylight and how there might not even be a true dark hour, let alone several. I suppose one would adjust, but I found it difficult to move mentally toward sleep each night (and it was definitely challenging to get young kids to bed in Scotland in July!!). Maybe that would suit my need for more hours of productivity and leisure alike? All in all, putting the sleep issues aside, I'd probably prefer the Longest Day. We took a trip to Alaska last summer, and while moving into sleep mode was a hurdle, we enjoyed how much outdoor time one can squeeze in during those months.
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2 comments:
Eleri, you and I are "season sisters" in that I absolutely look forward to "falling back" in the fall. I also fuss about "leaping forward" in the spring and have had a few years when I refused to change my clocks. (As if anyone actually noticed that little act of rebellion.)
Glad you are visiting places before you retire. You'll have a much better chance of deciding on "the best one" for you. We'd love to have you here in the Pacific Northwest!
Great post, Eleri! I'm glad you find joy in the fall, as Texas summers sound awful. As someone who was raised in Alaska, I love those long summer days, and sleeping in the daylight doesn't bother me. But I know a lot of people who use heavy curtains over their bedroom windows.
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