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I know some of you will think I’m crazy. Maybe not for the first time either. Oh well. But I’m always honest in these blogs – everything I write about really happened. It’s the journalist in me. So believe me when I tell you that I felt the first refreshing puffs of autumn air in South Florida this week. Very early indicators of a break in the summer heat. Very, very early indicators. Well yes, very, very, very – you get the idea.
After living in greater Fort Lauderdale for the past 18 years now, I like to think I understand something about Florida’s climate. My former wife, still a good friend, is a Florida native and I learned a lot from her about the subtleties of the seasons down here. I’m a northern boy, originally from Michigan. So seasons to me were always very distinct. Summer meant heat and sunshine. Autumn meant chilly temperatures and golden leaves. It was that simple. But not here, not in South Florida. In this part of the world, the seasons do change – and not just in that obvious “rainy season/dry season” way either. But you have to look for the seasonal differences closely. Or sometimes, you just wait for them to stroke your face.
So there I was on Wednesday morning, sitting on my patio. Reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, minding my own business. And then it happened. I felt the lightest touch of fresh air on my skin. I looked up, breathed in deeply and realized something. The summer humidity somehow was different. The air didn’t feel as close, not quite so steamroom sweltering. It was still hot. It was still August in Florida. But the morning breeze was clearer and more invigorating. It was the first suggestion of the weather that will soon arrive, the first cool puffs of autumn. That afternoon, I noticed the outside temperature at 5:30 was only 84 degrees, according to my car’s gauge. And this morning, sitting on the same patio and doing the same things, I felt a similar wisp of approaching fall weather. Of course, I recognize we’ll have some weeks yet of pretty hot days. I don’t mind it at all. But it was nice to notice that change is literally in the wind. By the time fall really gets here, I’ll be ready to open my windows and turn off the AC for a while.
After living in greater Fort Lauderdale for the past 18 years now, I like to think I understand something about Florida’s climate. My former wife, still a good friend, is a Florida native and I learned a lot from her about the subtleties of the seasons down here. I’m a northern boy, originally from Michigan. So seasons to me were always very distinct. Summer meant heat and sunshine. Autumn meant chilly temperatures and golden leaves. It was that simple. But not here, not in South Florida. In this part of the world, the seasons do change – and not just in that obvious “rainy season/dry season” way either. But you have to look for the seasonal differences closely. Or sometimes, you just wait for them to stroke your face.
So there I was on Wednesday morning, sitting on my patio. Reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, minding my own business. And then it happened. I felt the lightest touch of fresh air on my skin. I looked up, breathed in deeply and realized something. The summer humidity somehow was different. The air didn’t feel as close, not quite so steamroom sweltering. It was still hot. It was still August in Florida. But the morning breeze was clearer and more invigorating. It was the first suggestion of the weather that will soon arrive, the first cool puffs of autumn. That afternoon, I noticed the outside temperature at 5:30 was only 84 degrees, according to my car’s gauge. And this morning, sitting on the same patio and doing the same things, I felt a similar wisp of approaching fall weather. Of course, I recognize we’ll have some weeks yet of pretty hot days. I don’t mind it at all. But it was nice to notice that change is literally in the wind. By the time fall really gets here, I’ll be ready to open my windows and turn off the AC for a while.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 12:36 PM
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