There is a joke that makes the rounds each year about there being more than four seasons on the Island (and in the northeast in general). For those who don’t know, it calls attention to the phenomenon that every February, March, and April we get a few teaser days of warm weather – making people hopeful that the cold is finally behind us – only for temperatures to dip again. Every year I know it’s going to happen. Every year I fall for it.

The number of times I’ve put my winter jacket in the closet only to take it back out is comical. Same with turning the heat schedule off, only to turn it back on in a day or two. Or when I open the windows to let fresh air into the house, only to shut them less than an hour later.

Thankfully, though, May is here! Sure, I still have my lighter jacket hanging on the coat rack, but that is only for when I let my dog out in the morning and there is still a slight chill in the air. My husband, Lance, and I can finally sleep with the window in our bedroom open, although each morning we are jarred awake by a bird that chirps incessantly around 5 a.m. But I’m happy to hear the little fellow – he, too, is a sign that each day the weather is getting warmer.

Spring is my second favorite season (autumn will always have my heart). It isn’t too busy on the Island quite yet, and Lance’s crazy schedule of summer- time gigs with his band hasn’t kicked in. On weekends in late May, Lance, our daughter, Harper, and I will peruse the local nurseries in search of the perfect plants for our window box and front steps. At home, the outdoor furniture will take its rightful place on the back deck. Our porch goose, Bruce, will don his bumblebee outfit. In early June, Lance and I will enjoy quiet nights out by the firepit once Harper is asleep.

Soon enough, our hectic summer schedules will have us going full tilt. For now, we are embracing the peaceful days of spring.