Winter, Dirt, Spring, Summer, and Fall: The Five Seasons of West Texas?
Winter has a mascot: The Groundhog.
Spring has a mascot: The Easter Bunny.
Summer has a mascot: A big Sun that had on shades.
Fall has a mascot (really. Mascots): Halloween allows us to pick our own
In my new season, Dirt, I see the mascot being a vehicle, covered in dust, “coughing,” and maybe it has goggles?
March “comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Is that the correct proverb? I've always taken this to mean that we enter March with chilly and cold temperatures, and then when March is winding down, and April is making its way into our sights, the weather is sunny and warm. And in my opinion, that setup is great! I love cold weather, but I am more than ready for sunny days by this time of year.
And my impression may be right in most areas. But as we all know, West Texas is not like “most areas.” 'Coming in like a lion” seems to have multiple meanings here. Maybe one year we are like other areas, in the beautiful picture painted above. But the next? Well, that is what I would like to call the season of Dust. That period before April really makes its way into our neck of the woods. We may not like the harsh reality of not being able to open windows or drive with convertible tops down, but maybe we would embrace it more with a season to recognize it for what it is—the season of Dust. The weatherman can talk about the “beautiful, dirt-filled day” we will be having. The news can talk about the ZERO ways to keep your home free of dirt and debris. And all of this can be sponsored by a doctor who makes the majority of his money dishing out prescriptions for allergies!
We have all heard of the “Texas Sky”! I mean, most country songs talk about it at least once? But should someone not focus on gray or clear blue skies? Why not recognize the ugly brown, hazy effect seen in the season of Dirt? Someone should try their hand at writing that song!
Want a list of five things that can be ruined during Dust in West Texas?
- A good car wash! Don’t’ bother trying to keep your vehicle clean. Inside and out. The signs of Dust will be all over your car! Layer after wonderful layer!
- The entranceway into your home will look like you decided this was the perfect place to bring the outdoors in. Anytime someone walks in your front door, that dirt follows!
- Or at least the distance you can see while driving! Sometimes, during the season of Dirt, you cannot even see across the road, let alone the vehicle right in front of you!
- Your Hair. Bad hair days? Yes. It may sound funny or even shallow, but O-M-G, on those days where the winds are blowing at 100 miles per hour, I just want to go home and do some deep conditioning!
- Outdoor eating. “Would you like some dust with that?” We have been cooped up in the house because of winter, and we head straight into Dust? You can’t eat or drink outside without tasting what has been floating around.
I feel, if we need to suffer through the season of Dust, we should at the very least recognize it for what it is. A shorter season, yes. But very effective in the destruction of sinuses everywhere. Someone, tell me, where can we make an official request to add a fifth season to West Texas?