Dallas weather is EXTREME. There is no other way to describe it. The temperature often ranges 50 to 60 degrees within a twenty-four hour period. Summer is hellish with weeks and weeks and weeks of 100+ temperatures and terrible humidity. Everyone begins to snap at each other from the heat and bad hair days. Acres of ranch land ignite and burn. Boats run aground from lack of rainfall. The tap water tastes like algae by Labor Day. Finally, when everyone is at the point of seeking counseling, that first cold snap hits around Halloween and yay, it’s fall, the best season of all, for about 14 days. You dare not blink.
As you begin to let your guard down to recover from the broiling summer, you realize it’s one week before Christmas and the pumpkins are still on the porch. Overnight, all the trees have gone bare. When did it become winter? Does the Earth spin more quickly on its axis now? Did Al Gore double-check this while inventing global warming? Although super short, Dallas winters do often include bursts of crazy cold from Canada which are brutal to our thin, watery blood unprepared for icy temps. Combined with Texas winds, the chill is often below zero.
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| Snow! |
Last year we received over a foot of snow one day in January. It happened so quickly the weathermen, who were probably in their inclement weather prayer group, completely missed the forecast. They are still red-faced about this. In contrast, so far this year, we have managed to skip the cold messy weather completely, wearing shorts in December and eating lunch outside on MLK Day. It makes for nice dog walking weather, which Lucy and Annabelle appreciate.
I want changes of season. I want to see snow in the winter and sun in the summer. (But a normal amount of each would be preferable.) If I suddenly wake from a coma, I want to be able to look out the window and know what time of year it is based on the color of the leaves on the trees, not because the leaves are burnt to a crisp. I could never live in a place with the same weather month after month – that would be monotonous. I will not go on a Caribbean cruise for Christmas. It just doesn’t seem right, plus there is the whole “some people mysteriously don’t come back from cruises” issue. And the “I’d rather have a root canal than wear a swimsuit in December” issue. Ok, so I have issues…
This is the time of year that I start to get antsy. I’m ready for yard work. I need to clean the flower beds and trim the bushes and sweat. It’s cathartic. I begin to anticipate the tall purple irises that will soon pop up on the blades in the thick groundcover surrounding the fountain. I thumb through seed catalogs and dream of the day when I will not be limited to my city postage stamp yard and container herb gardening. Winter teaches patience. I know that underneath the ground, the bulbs and roots are hibernating, warming and waiting until the perfect time to show themselves.
I think I’ll drink my coffee this morning on the porch and have a little chat with my pansies. They probably have some insight into our crazy Dallas weather. Yes, I talk to my plants.
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| Last Spring’s Irises. |
talya
Musical Pairings:
Dean Martin, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”
Musical Pairings:
Dean Martin, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”
loved discovering your blog today. very excited for you. hope this aspiring writer writes a book someday!!!
Love you, one of your cousins from Arkansas!
Lynn Terry
Thanks Lynn! I’ve actually started my book. 85 pages so far… yay!
Can’t wait for the book! Do I need to proof read the 85 pages? theBAT
Do I get a preview of the book before it hits the store shelves?
Hi Talya. Your blog is delightful. You will have many stories and memories to write about growing up in Miss. Co.
I have your Nana’s strawberry cake receipe from years ago..
Continue to have fun with your book. Good Luck..
Barbara McMinn Thompson..
Talya, I must tell you that I love your writing! I was so glad to find it. Not only is it interesting and clever, but it is clear and uncluttered and your grammar is great! I can’t wait to read all of it. Enjoy your pansies tomorrow morning for soon they must be replaced. I have never met you, but I love you. Your mom is my dear friend. God bless. Lou Nell McCraw Davis
Talya, I am enjoying your blog so much. You have a way of writing that is soothing to the mind and I’m looking forward to reading every story on your blog and am extremely looking forward to your book…and if you don’t mind….I’d absolutely love the recipe to your Nana’s strawberry cake. Take care, Gracie’s Mazie (Timmie Lynn Morgan Hunter)