She offers a huge thanks to Mother Nature for a dreamy, chill spring

I feel like I need to write a thank you note to Mother Nature for bequeathing my neck of the woods a sublime spring.

For years I have been begging for a “real” spring. A spring that isn’t stolen by the two bossiest seasons: winter and summer.

These two have a modus operandi of winter lingering into early April like a bad cough and then summer sweeping in to shove winter aside in order to start its heat offensive. The result is you basically have no spring because it was aggressively and perhaps gleefully squashed by winter and summer.

The sense of entitlement winter and summer have is off the charts. Just because they’re bigger and brawnier with their temperature extremes — and some might say temperature tantrums — is no reason to think they have all the seasonal swagger.

Sure, I’ll admit winter, with its blizzards and below-zero weather, and summer, all uppity with its “fry an egg on the sidewalk” temperature theatrics, do demonstrate some seasonal strengths in terms of the ability to make people miserable. But it doesn’t give these two bullies the right to eradicate another season.

Even worse is when winter and summer play us and do the whole “false spring” thing. It’s downright cruel. One minute you’re outside in boots and mittens and then you blink and you’re in shorts and flip-flops looking for your sunscreen.

And let me tell you, once you get those flip-flops on, your brain chemistry changes. You think it’s go time for all things spring and nothing’s going to stop you from getting your yard all pretty and putting your puffer jackets away.

But before you can say “I just spent $200 on plants at the garden center,” summer laughs and winter barrels back in with below-freezing temperatures to ice out your spring dreams.

For someone who’s self-diagnosed herself as heat phobic, this is soul crushing. I need a spring. A real spring that starts in mid-March and doesn’t take its final bow until Memorial Day weekend.

Experiencing weeks of coolish mornings that gently segue to warmer afternoons is essential for my mental well-being. This is because I require that time to prepare myself for the heat and humidity infested slog that is summer.

When winter misses the spring exit and takes a detour straight to summer, I’m in shock and haven’t had time to give myself a series of pep talks that all focus on the same topic: I can and I will survive summer. For the love of zinc oxide, an early summer means I’ve yet to have a chance to become besties with SPF 90 again.

All of this is why I owe Mother Nature a huge thank you. She listened to my pleas and prayers and delivered an amazing spring. We even had “April showers bring May flowers” moments.

Many days I would walk outside and say, “Wow, this feels like California weather.” By this I mean a day blessed with low humidity, a sunshine that caresses your face, and the need for a light sweater instead of clinical strength deodorant.

In a word it’s been magical.

But now that May is winding down, I know the summer struggle is about to begin. This year, though, I think I can handle it. Even better, maybe I won’t need to awkwardly hang out every day at the coldest place in town: Trader Joe’s. (I’m not kidding, it’s like walking into Eastern Antarctica, where zero degrees is considered a balmy summer day.)

So, here’s to you Mother Nature for a lovely spring. Maybe if you’re feeling up to it, can you keep the summer highs in the 80s? Yeah, I know that’s a big ask, but it would be a heat phobic’s dream come true.

Reach Sherry Kuehl at snarkyinthesuburbs@gmail.com, on Facebook at Snarky in the Suburbs @snarkynsuburbs, on Instagram @snarky.in.the.suburbs, and snarkyinthesuburbs.com.