MUSINGS OF A LOCAL By Iris Mead - OUR NO SPRING SPRING

Comedian Robin Williams once said Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s Party!” 

It’s the first week in June and our normal spring season is officially over.  In meteorological terms, spring starts on March 1st and lasts through May 31st.  Astronomically, spring begins on the vernal equinox which, this year was March 20th.  But Spring didn’t seem to arrive in our part of the country then or throughout the rest of the “spring season.”  Yes, we had occasional days of sun, enough to tease us into thinking there were going to be more, but there never seemed to be enough “more.” In fact, one Albany weatherman recently noted that from November 18, 2024 through May 31, 2025 there had not been one weekend that was entirely free of rain or snow in our area.  That was shocking to hear even though we lived those weekends. How many times did we moan and groan about another weekend ruined by snow or rain!  But nature did start giving us signs that spring was coming; snowdrops, daffodils and crocus poked their heads up, sometimes through the snow, the days started to lengthen, buds appeared on trees and bushes, wildflowers started appearing, birds returned and the days gradually lengthened and the air was fresher.  We began to smile more, breathe deeper and spend more time outside.  As Memorial Day approached, we began planning our summer gardens and trying not to purchase the annuals and vegetables that were being put out for sale too early. As we all know, the warning in our area is don’t put in your flowers and gardens before Memorial Day because there still can be frost. And there was a frost warning in some higher elevations earlier this week. 

This year’s non-Spring has financially hurt local golf courses, ruined many family gatherings, picnics, bake sales, concerts and outdoor events since many have been cancelled or postponed.  Memorial Day weekend, our end-of-spring kickoff to summer, usually packed with numerous events, was partially ruined by rain.

It's now June – let’s look forward to more dry days than wet ones, warmer days and even hot days coming our way.  If you are a follower of the Farmer’s Almanac, it is predicting below-average precipitation (RAIN) in June for the whole Northeast.  But it is forecasting above-normal RAINfall in the north of the Northeast and below-normal RAINfall in the south of the Northeast.  So, where does that leave us, you figure it out. In all, the National Weather Service predicts a hotter-than-average summer in the Northeast.  

Through the years, many sayings have evolved about predicting the weather.  Here are a few:

If the goose honks high, fair weather. If the goose honks low, foul weather.   (How to tell if it’s high or low?)

A ring around the sun or moon means that rain will come real soon.

Evening gray and morning red, put on your hat or you’ll wet your head.

And finally, the one we all know and probably go by the most:

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight, Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating;  there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

So, whatever the day may bring, make the most of it and be thankful you are able to be part of it.