THE CHANGING SEASONS IN NORTH AMERICA

North America experiences four season, which normally are fairly well defined.
Each one, offers a good transition before the next and this prepares us for the next phase of the year ahead. 

Generally it might be said, that each season lasts about a quarter of the year. Therefore, by December with the calendar years end, Winter has arrived and will continue for another few months. The longest day of the year being December 21st, after which we begin hoping for an early Spring. 

Spring, usually promises Winter's end, rebirth of the trees and flowers and generally warmer weather ahead. 

After Spring, comes the warmest weather, lighter clothing and attitudes of Summer. Some of us find it hard to believe that the contrast between the very hot days of Summer, compared to the very cold ones of Winter. 

However, by the time the third quarter of the year arrives in September, we again begin to prepare, in Autumn for the last months of the year and the Winter season. 

The lightening of our mood, clothing and coming of warmer temperatures always seemed a good time for airing out of the house, in preparation for spring. This included pulling out lighter clothing in preparation for warmer weather. A sort of shedding the heavier, warm clothing needed in winter seemed also to involve a shedding of our heavier and more serious winter demeanour as well.

By the time summer arrived, we seem to have adopted, along with very light clothing, a much lighter attitude to the warm, sunny days ahead.

Autumn however, is a reverse of the lightening that Spring brings us. We are now entering, the third quarter of the year, here in North America. The season is known as Autumn (also sometimes called Fall). The children have just returned to school and soon we will witness the leaves turning to a vast array of beautiful colours and then falling off of the trees.

Often, especially in recent years, a long period called Indian Summer, makes this a rather beautiful time of year, neither really hot or really cold. It precedes and prepares us for the colder weather which will soon follow. 

Indian Summer and the autumn season prepare us for the final season of the year, Winter.

Winter, brings us cold, wind and various amounts of snow which covers the ground. Winter completes the four seasons which define the North American climate.

Each season comes with its own climactic change, clothing changes, ambiance and a range of activities we can participate in and enjoy.

It is possible that each of us has a season we like best. Part of enjoying life fully however, is making certain that we find some activities and events that we enjoy in each season. These become the touchstones of our year. These give us a chance to participate in the life around us, as well as, acknowledge and appreciate the beauty of the world as the annual cycle of nature unfolds around us.