Helloooo Seasons! All in one week!

I've been all over the country, sort of. I grew up in Michigan. I've traveled along the east coast, including Washington DC, parts of North and South Carolina, all the way down to Florida. I went to college in Minnesota. Then I lived in Denver, Colorado for a couple years, and in Des Moines, Iowa for a few. Spent time in parts in between as well.

Yet I came back to Michigan to stay when I started my family. "Dear woman, why? When you lived in such amazing places as Des Moines, Iowa, which no one outside the state knows how to pronounce properly!?!?!?" is something I've been asked multiple times. Well, maybe not the part about Des Moines (although I hung out with a new little band known as Slipknot while I was there, lots of fun to be had). But people do often ask me why on EARTH did I come back?

Well, there is the obvious bit about my family being here. And that is especially relevant, because of the whole "I have this small human and wow it would help to have family around to assist in raising him." aspect of things.

But more than that, more than the fact that we have TREES and LARGE NATURAL BODIES OF WATER, was the weather.

That's right, folks. The weather.

Because Only In Michigan can one have all four seasons in one week (heck, one day if the planets are properly aligned). And have this happen not just once, but multiple times a year.

We had the recent snow. And then the weather got a little nicer. And we've had rain. And wind. And heat. None of it is unbearable (yet) but all of it has happened in a very short time frame. I laugh at people who talk about switching out their seasonal wardrobes. Oh, to be able to enjoy that luxury! To be comfortable putting away all of the cold weather gear, because you are secure in the knowledge that you won't need it until the next cold weather season is officially here! Yeah... no. Not in these parts! Don't you even think about putting all that stuff up! And you'd better be able to access your shorts and tank tops mid-winter, because you never know when that random warm front is going to show up either.

Arizona, you can keep your dry heat. Other places can have their more or less predictable temperatures. I'll stick with my mitten surrounded by water, where every day is a crap shoot, and the only way to be sure what the weather will be like is to open the door and see.  And even that is only assured for the next 5 minutes. Maybe. Oh, and might want to check the back door too, because the weather there might be different.

Ah... Pure Michigan.

OFF WITH HER HEAD!

Dear Dictaphone,

I woke up to white stuff on my car. First thought was "Why the hell did someone use a fire extinguisher on my car?". Then I realized it was Ice Lord Vomit. AKA snow. Seriously? At that point I went into full Queen of Hearts mode, and declared that I'd had it with Mother Nature, " OFF WITH HER HEAD!" Because seriously, really? I live in the northern part of the country, I get that. But this is still ridiculous.

Also noteworthy, all of this happened around 7:30, BC (before coffee).

Went to the store for random things that don't self-resupply, as much as that may surprise my children. At the checkout told the story of my moment from this morning to the cashiers (who know me oh so well). And happily saw that my groceries were being put in reusable cloth bags. Because it's Earth Day and Family Fare is giving them away until they run out.

When I got home (and had finished my coffee) everything clicked.

It's Earth Day. Apparently Mother Nature opted to use Her day to play a prank on humanity. Because hey, why not? Well played.

And the sun is shining, sort of, and it's all melting. So that's good.

Ice Lords vomited on my car last night.