It’s Going To Be A Mean Season In Florida.

I know , I know you thought you just survived the Mean Season , when all the Snow Birds arrived and offered you 10 cents on the dollar for everything you were peddling. That was kind of mean too , but this is even meaner.

Based on the early rain , early heat , early storm , and the fact that the gators are floating lazily along in the canals by the Alley. All of that and a feeling in my sinuses , tells me we are in for a Mean Season.

Florida is called the Sunshine State , but has more rain , more lightening strikes , and  more tornadoes (although less deadly) than any other state in the USA. Then you throw in a hurricane or two , and it gives you an idea about how formidable our weather can be.

 I grew up in Cape Coral without air conditioning in the 60s and 70s. We had a ceiling fan that rotated around in a half -hearted manner , and we opened our windows at night hoping for a breeze. We welcomed the rain to cool us off and drown out the constant droning of the mosquitoes on our screens.

 Summers were hard enough , but in a Mean Season when the temperatures hover in the high 90′s  and the storms surround us , things get worse.

Dogs never lift their tails , they slink around uneasily through the yards ,  and normally facetious cats lay in the dust  . You come home and find black snakes have crawled into your garage for respite from the pounding sun. Vultures circle over head , waiting for someone on the Golf course to fall over from heat stroke. Babies  just fuss ,  too weak to cry or laugh.

As the days roll on you start to grow more native . No make up ,  and you add straw sun hats ,  shorter shorts , flip flops , and this is when you are dressed up to go to work. You always have a tumbler with ice in it , and you start to spike it with something stronger to help lift your mood. The hair on the back of your neck is constantly raised in anticipation of whatever is forming out there over the waters.

We can only guess if it will come from the Gulf , the Atlantic ,  or just rise from the ‘Glades , but the storms roll in. They pound us with rain but it never grows colder , just knocks out the lights and with it the air conditioning. You fan yourself with newspapers and eat the contents of the freezer. You listen to the thunder and light your candles. You hope the trees stay put in your lawn. You feel the power of Nature and realize how quickly things would change back into a swamp.

It just may be a Mean Season , all those who have weak wills , head North.

Today is Wednesday , it is a Mean Day that tells us we are only half way toward the Weekend and the fun that lies ahead. Put on a straw hat and your funkiest sun glasses , get a large glass add ice  , and Julep your tea. It will start to feel like Friday.

Peggy Oberlin RID 4986