Season of change

Many places have four seasons. Most people refer to them as Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall and those words bring specific idyllic pictures to mind. Happy people frolicking in a couple inches of snow, all bundled up in scarves and sweaters, maybe a cup of cocoa or coffee steaming away. Beautiful flowers just pushing up through dark, rich earth under a beautiful blue sky and 50 degree weather. Swimming suits, beaches, drive-in movies and no responsibilities. Spectacular leaf color and crisp nights crunching through the early fall leaf litter, again maybe that hot cup of coffee near by.

In New Hampshire and Vermont, not so much. We do have four seasons. Winter, Mud, Summer and Fall. Winter lasts from October until mid-March or April. Mud season lasts from the end of winter until late May. Summer, from June until mid-August. Fall, from August to October. Now, for those not from this area, you may be asking what is mud season? Mud season is the delightful time of year when the weather alternates from 60 degrees to -5 and back again, frequently and quickly. When the snow melts and turns everything not paved into a giant sink hole of mud, and then it freezes, snows again, and repeat. When dogs and EMTs track mud everywhere they go, with a special affinity for white carpet.

This, my friends, is why I left for vacation in March. You might think that avoiding the bitter winter cold would be a higher priority - but you can't really avoid something that lasts for six months and I own enough sweaters to outfit a small impoverished nation (if they lived somewhere cold). But mud season - just plain aggravating. The day we returned from vacation, 67 degrees. The next day, 71 degrees. The next day, 25 degrees and 12+ inches of snow. Just makes you want to find Mother Nature and kick her ass for teasing you with the warm weather.

So, if you're dealing with the mud, or just longing for a taste of the tropics...here you go, a little taste of Georgetown, Grand Cayman.