It’s only a week after Valentine’s Day (99% off candy sale!) and our Michigan is showing its versatility of weather. A year ago, our hand-shaped section of earth was covered in snow, like a frosty high-five for our astronaut pals.  Today, on the other hand, (see? hand? high-five?) is oddly warm and rainy, which is convincing enough to make those little white flowers come up for spring.  Come this weekend, they’re in for a surprise.  A rude awakening, if you will.  Our state fingers will get cold again, but, mind you, only after a line of strong thunderstorms roll through.  Pure Michigan!

Yes, the plants are confused and so are the children.  Our children.  Maybe yours.  Have they asked you when the pool is opening?  Thursday? Friday?  “Oh, son,” I’ve been saying to Zac, “we won’t be swimming for a few months yet.”  He thinks I’m either blissfully unaware or a parental grinch, or a combination: the ignorant ruiner of fun.  “Why?  It’s so warm out!” he says, with his winter boots, shorts, and tee shirt.  This is a typical Michigan outfit.

The plants, the children, and you and I who live in this fine state: Let’s enjoy what we’ve got and then enjoy what we’ll have next, since it’ll be different in a week… in a month… in a year.  I often feel sorry for the residents of Florida (I keep telling myself) since they have much less variety of climate and far more poisonous snakes.  Florida is beautiful, no doubt, and our weather is currently far outside the norm, but I’ll take a frosty high-five over the typical regimen for anti-venom any day.  We’ll still visit, especially next winter, when it’s -30 or so.

I’m going to put on my sunglasses and rake some leaves, because, Michigan, we love ya.