A Gloomy Day

Well, winter has finally arrived to us here in Texas. Not the type of roaring blizzard with 50 mph winds and inches of snow. No, we don’t have that sort of winter at least around central Texas where I live. Our winters are different.

It usually starts with the leaves falling off the trees and the temperature slowly dropping out of the summer 100’s to the fall 70’s. Then before you realize it, all of the trees with the exception of the evergreen oaks are totally bare and suddenly, the temperature has dropped into the 40’s and 50’s. These changes are subtle and have a way of sneaking up on one.

All of these changes are totally bearable with the only difference to my normal attire of shorts and tee-shirt being the addition of a jacket or warm sweater. If it gets really cold, I will have to resort to long pants.

So, I wake up one morning and the weather is dull and gloomy. Where did the sun go we are asking as the sun to Texans is like a goddess, always there and ready to keep us warm. The temperature has now dropped to the mid 40’s and dipping. The weather is cloudy and overcast. It is raining a fine misty rain and there are winter weather warnings on the television. At night, we are getting a light frost when the thermometer drops as low as 25 degrees, cold for us.

All of the succulent vegetation will die off to be replaced by new in the spring. The outside pipes have all been wrapped and everything but the essential water supply to the house is turned off. Its like being in a foreign land of which we know very little. The ponds will not freeze as the moving water prevents it. The fish have all done their fish thing and hibernated to the bottom of the pond with very little movement except for the occasional swish of a tail. Everything is grey and still with the only movement the birds on the feeders, fighting and squabbling for the seed that I have put there for them.

I find this weather very depressing. I dislike dull and grey and yearn to see the sun again and as much as I complain about how hot it will get, I will take it every time over this dull and disconsolate weather.

It will be like this off and on for the next month and then before we know it, things are turning green and Mother Nature has re-asserted herself by presenting us with new growth and sun, lots of sun. I will have less than two weeks to chop down all of the dead vegetation before the new are poking their heads above ground. Things happen fast in Texas.

I can’t wait…