The Subtle Season

There was nothing subtle about the temperature today for those of us who have lived in Central Florida for years. It was cold. Winter cold. The high today was in the low 50's, and we pulled out our mucklucks. See, I don't even think I spelled that right, but I can spell flip flops. The sky was clear, the air crisp.

Personally, I am good for about five days of winter weather before a little whine creeps into my voice. With prolonged blasts of northern air, the whines morph into complaints. I am spoiled. Those who come to Florida for winter vacation enjoy the balmy temperatures and clear skies as they laugh at us in our coats and hats. They mock us by jumping into the ocean on January 15th and swimming with the dolphins. They say, "Florida doesn't have winter."

But the keen eye of a native or near native such as me, knows when winter is upon us, even if the temperature occasionally sneaks back up into the upper 70's or low 80's. Winter is evident to us not only in the sparkling sky, but in the trees.  The crepe myrtles, by now, have lost all or nearly all of their leaves. They no longer shower us with soft, tiny white, watermelon pink or purple flowers and seeds that pop when you squeeze them.

The large oaks, live and laurel and willow and others I cannot name, are beginning to thin out a little as their small leaves fall to the ground gradually in scattered piles that are almost impossible to rake. The live oak leaves are the darkest green of the season, rich in deep color, pride before a fall. Here and there an acorn becomes evident, but not for too long. The cranes and squirrels soon scarf them up.

The grass may still be green, but a frost will  most likely tarnish its edges or winter drought may turn it to a soft, crunchy brown. The evening sky, nearly cloudless, sheds a rich, angled light on the end of another day, and we hurry into our houses and turn on our heaters and bring out our blankets. A snap of cold winter is upon us, and no matter what anyone living north of Tallahassee says to us about winterless Florida, they will not convince us otherwise because we know the sweetness of 78 degrees Fahrenheit in January. It settles in our bones and courses through our warm hearts.

But the Lord said to Samuel, "For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" Samuel 16:7b
Peace.
Love, Linda