My favorite season has always been spring. I love the warmer temperatures, longer days, and the smell of fresh greenery and blossoms. It’s the hint of summer, the end of a cold winter, and just the sense of a new beginning all around. Officially, at least for the Northern Hemisphere, spring is on March 20, which is tomorrow (Tuesday).
Yet, THIS was outside on Sunday morning. Really?!
Ok, so scientifically, springtime has to do with sunlight and not heat, per se. It’s all about how the planet orbits the sun and the tilt of its axis. Spring is when day and night are 12 hours equal in length. Our days are longer – it’s easier to wake up in the morning, and it makes for longer playtime for our kids outside in the late afternoon/early evening. (For great kid activities and overall resources, visit the Old Farmer’s Almanac at www.almanac.com.)
But to state that again, it’s not about heat. So I shouldn’t have been too surprised when I woke up Sunday morning to see snow on the ground. Actually, the noise of it being “shoveled” off the streets woke me up, whereas if the guards had simply waited awhile it’d melt quickly on its own (true, I had to take pictures quickly lest the snow would be gone).
Spring break is around the corner for many schools and people are itching for warmer temperatures – perhaps traveling away to get a hint of it before it arrives here. Spring IS coming to Beijing soon, and people like me just to be a patient a little while longer. Then, we’ll see this instead.
