Groundhog Day
Feb. 2nd, 2004 09:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dxmachinaI think of all the months of the year, I dislike February the most. It's usually the coldest month, and the novelty of winter and the sheer beauty of falling snow have generally worn out their welcomes by this time of year. The groundhog saw his shadow this morning, forecasting another six weeks of winter if one believes in that sort of thing.
Still, there are occurrences in February that make me feel better about things, little threads to cling to while shivering in my car. The transition to spring is not a quantum event, but a slow continuum of changes. February 1st marks the first day of the year that the sun sets after 5 p.m. in my neighborhood, which is a good milestone. I can leave work and know that the sun will still be in the sky, however briefly. By the middle of the month, I'll be able to drive home after work without turning on my headlights. (This presumes that I would actually leave work at quitting time, which never happens, but let's put that aside for the nonce.) The lengthening of the days always makes me feel better.
The other thing of note that happens in the middle of the month is the opening of the baseball spring training camps. Pitchers and catchers report to the Devil Rays camp on the 14th, and the rest follow along in turn. Ball meets bat, then glove, all the time travelling over green, green grass. That's always a sure sign that spring is nigh. I can't wait.
Still, there are occurrences in February that make me feel better about things, little threads to cling to while shivering in my car. The transition to spring is not a quantum event, but a slow continuum of changes. February 1st marks the first day of the year that the sun sets after 5 p.m. in my neighborhood, which is a good milestone. I can leave work and know that the sun will still be in the sky, however briefly. By the middle of the month, I'll be able to drive home after work without turning on my headlights. (This presumes that I would actually leave work at quitting time, which never happens, but let's put that aside for the nonce.) The lengthening of the days always makes me feel better.
The other thing of note that happens in the middle of the month is the opening of the baseball spring training camps. Pitchers and catchers report to the Devil Rays camp on the 14th, and the rest follow along in turn. Ball meets bat, then glove, all the time travelling over green, green grass. That's always a sure sign that spring is nigh. I can't wait.
