Mother Nature must be getting Old

As anyone with skin has been able to notice lately, the weather has been a little off. And by "lately" I mean in the last month. And by "a little off" I mean "Where the freak did Spring go?!" Winter lasted longer than usual thanks to Punxsutawny Phil. How a groundhog came into a position to call all the shots I will never know. Once our extra six weeks of wintery imprisonment were over, Spring looked like it was finally on its way. The snow melted, plants were turning green again, I could walk outside without a coat on (which as Josh will tell you is no small feat), and we could finally turn the heater down in our tiny house. I was even able to dream about walking barefoot across campus again. It was beautiful.

Then came another snowstorm. Ok, we can deal with a last push of dying winter. Unfortunate as it was, I never expected what followed. Warm, cold, freezing, snow, warm, melting, cold, freezing, more snow, melting, more snow........ It's almost too much for a girl to handle. I thought maybe the gods just hated us all and were punishing us for some unknown transgression. Then I remembered that, well, I'm pretty awesome. And so are the people I know. So that can't be it. The only other explanation is that the cause lies with Mother Nature. I've always pictured Mother Nature as a hugely dichotomous being, both beautiful and terrible, but never out of control. Always perfectly poised and having a perfect knowledge of what she's doing. Thus, I've come to the conclusion that Mother Nature must be getting old.

Our Great Mother Earth has been around since the beginning of Time. I'd assume that though a few millenia have gone by, the titans of the universe have the advantage of immortality, awe-inspiring power and, as Josh says, the ability to watch us in the shower. But have we ever considered that maybe they don't have the ability to totally withstand the process of aging? Dementia and Alzheimer's are two of the possibilties I have come up with that explain our erratic weather patterns. Moms could be confused about what season it really is. Or she could think she's in a different area of the world where it should be winter in March and April. My latest thought on the subject is the possibility of dear old Mother passing the last milestone in a woman's life. Menopause. Think about it, hot flashes and cold sweats. Not to mention the crankiness and sleep deprivation that could cause her to make a few hasty decisions.

Now the question is: What is our plan of action? Hormone pills, finding a cure for Alzheimer's? I think either option could pose some difficulties. Mostly insurmountable, but hey, I keep hoping. I keep hoping that someday the beautiful days of Spring, flip flops and sunny warmth will come.....and stay. Here's to keeping the faith.