Florida's Fallen Spring
I am not inclined to say Florida has any semblance of seasons, but I am biased. Despite my nearly thirty years in the Sunshine State, my original home is New England, specifically southern New Hampshire, an area certainly crowned belle of the ball come Fall. People flock to New Hampshire from all over the country come autumn-time, to view what I always took for granted growing up- the fiery reds and stunningly bright yellows and warm spiced oranges which adorn the crowns of the trees and the scattered ground around them. The woods around my house were a riot of hues; the rakes on standby to sweep up brown, cracking, decaying leaves in a few weeks, but for the moment, allowing a carpet of color to lay soft and expressive for a while. The air was crisp, and you began to see your breath, especially in the early morning or late evening.
What’s our sign for Fall in Florida? While some trees make a valiant effort at color, most remain as they always are- green and thriving through copious amounts of rain, especially in September. Far away from those who walk out their door to crisp 50 degree weather, we Floridians are longing for the gauge to simply drop below 90 for a change. We wander into department stores and laugh at the flannel shirts now on display, as shorts and flip-flops are still the norm and will be for quite some time. Pumpkin spice? Sure, but we are still enjoying our Key Lime Pie as well.
There is a sign, however. Regardless of how subtle it may, the seasoned Floridian senses it. He walks outside, and stops, stricken. A calmness then washes over him, a sense of relief, a silent shout of thanks to the Lord Above. He breathes in the invisible reality and sighs out its absence.
No humidity.
Blessed absence of the “summer bath,” that particular sensation of walking outside and feeling like you are immersed in a sauna, as sweat immediately pricks out on your arms and that nice dry shirt you walked out the door with? Yeah, not so dry anymore. We rush from house door to car door, to crank the vehicle A/C- not, as it would seem, merely to escape from the heat, but to assuage the humidity hanging heavy over ourselves and the air around us. A friend from up North once asked me how I deal with Florida summers. I answered “Just like you deal with the bone-chilling winter of New England- we stay inside.”
The previous ache I felt for the New England Spring- when I just had had enough of the slush, sleet, snow, and cold- no longer the winter wonderland of December, but what can only be described as March Mush- is reversed down here in Florida. A Florida Fall brings about the same feeling of rejuvenation, of waking up to the world and its wonders.That sense of the atmosphere lightening its load of wetness foretells wondrous clear blue skies ahead, free of haze. The air loses its heaviness and, as GK Chesterton might say, “a good wind that blows nobody harm” brings to life somnolent summer selves.
So, fair warning: we might just be waking up down here to the festivities begun by Northern neighbors at the beginning of September, but we will do our best to catch up. It’s almost time to hang Christmas lights on the palm tree.
Agreed Greg! I found that this year, after Hurricane Helene, there was an instant overnight change in the weather. I remember coming outdoors after the storm and the weather had unexpectedly dropped to the mid 60s and I was freezing, because the humidity had also dropped. Since then, the weather has only gotten to 87 in Winter Garden and only a few times. Definitely sparked the end of that pesky 90–100-degree weather we had in the summer.