Seriously, where did we move? The North Pole?

When we let people know that we’d be moving to New Haven, we got some form of the sarcastic “Just in time for winter!” line from nearly everybody. “New Haven? Well, you’ll be there just in time for winter!” This was sort of fun at first, and quickly got old. I got to the point where I’d let people know—right away—that I went to school in Boston. I could handle it.

So we got up here, just in time for winter, and I happily wore my down coat, hat and gloves, protecting myself against the bitter cold and hoping for snow (I love snow).

And then, after what seemed like way, way too many weeks of the bitter cold, I started wondering when spring would come. I started voicing my feelings aloud. “Man, I’d love to ditch this coat! I’d love a warm day!” And as March grew to a close I actually started getting angry. Come on, I thought, in like a lion, out like a LAMB?

J and I talked about how while we’d both experienced the climate of the northeast before, but our years in North Carolina had obviously altered our perception of it. It gets warmer so much later here. And just when it does start to get warm, nature changes its course and throws a few more cold days right in your face. So you don’t get too comfortable.

Despite the fact that I’m still wearing a coat when I head to work in the morning, last week saw the first really warm days so far this spring. Days where I could take the coat off when walking to get lunch, letting the sun touch my shoulders.

As I was headed to Grand Central Friday afternoon, I took a good look around and noticed that people were in a really good mood, and not only because it was the end of the work week. They were talking on their cell phones, making plans with friends. They were gathered in bars, drinking cold beers. The windows were open, ensuring no one missed out on the springtime weather, and you got the feeling everyone had been there for a while, had maybe knocked off work at 3 or 4.

I couldn’t help joining in the giddy excitement of it all, if just for the moment. I mean, I’m not dumb—I’ve been burned before and learned my lesson—I knew perfectly well that the next morning would bring a damp chill, and I’d be all set to go for a morning walk in my shorts and t-shirt only to have to go inside and change into long pants and a sweatshirt. And yeah, that’s what happened. I do have faith that we’re getting there, though. Soon I’ll put the coat in the coat closet, and I won’t even look back.