Delusions of Spring

(Photo taken in Central Park, Spring 2008)

I was thinking about spring...and how much I wish it would come! It's not the end of February yet, but it sure seems like it's been winter for a long long time...and that spring is long overdue!

Yesterday I checked the forecast for today and saw that it was supposed to be a high of 48 degrees and sunny...not so bad for the end of February I thought! This morning I got ready for work, put my skirt on, decided to forgo the tights and walked outside wearing my lighter raincoat (instead of the knee length wool winter coat) and was promptly greeted by a bitter cold blast of wind.

The wind gusts on West End avenue can be quite "moving", especially when the wind is blowing quickly. It's not uncommon to see entire metal newspaper stands blown over (not a newspaper rack...no, a whole stand, the kind in which you put the change in and open the door). I don't believe those are so light as a feather, so I imagine it takes quite a wind to blow them down.

I was sorely disappointed that I hadn't re-checked the forecast this morning before I left (never again will I rely on information from the evening before!). When I looked what the temperature was on my iPhone, weather.com said that it felt like 8 degrees! needless to say my damp hair was no longer damp - it held more the consistency of straw, and my legs were getting numb with cold.

Well - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and so far no signs of pneumonia! Daily lesson: Always check the forecast before you leave the house, and don't let your desire for spring weather trick you into thinking it's here...