A few weeks ago, someone in my workout class was talking about how they couldn’t believe that it was so cold again. It’s spring! This isn’t supposed to be happening, they said. And I just casually mentioned that it was just Redbud winter and it would be over in a day or two.
Total silence. Stares like I have three heads and slimy goo oozing from places it shouldn’t be.
When I came home and mentioned this to Denton, he casually told me that no one around here knows about that, that’s just my hillbilly family thing. So for the past couple of week’s I’ve been polling every single person I come into contact with. “Do you know what Redbud winter is?” Not a single one of them here knows what I’m talking about.
The thing of it is, where I grew up, even the meteorologist’s talk about this on the nightly news! This isn’t contained to just my family.
The other reason that this surprises me is that the topography of our tiny town here in the Appalachian mountains is EXACTLY the same as it is in my tiny town that I grew up in the Appalachian mountains. We are five hours driving time away, but the trees, bushes, animals, birds, everything is the same. But, the common lore is most definitely different.
So here is a small lesson on the seasons from my family to yours.
Once winter is done, and spring has sprung don’t be surprised in the middle of March after days or weeks of 60* and 70* days to find yourself looking for your winter coat again, just for a day or two. You will also notice that the Redbud trees are blooming madly. This is Redbud winter.
Spring comes back and everyone basks in the wonder that is spring again, until the Dogwood’s begin to bloom at the beginning of April. Wait for it. It may not happen right away, but right now it’s April 23rd and today’s high is 52*. Last week it was 86* and it’s going to be 87* later this week, but today and tomorrow its Dogwood winter. Woohoo! I love these drops in the temperature.
When May, beautiful May arrives we should be having lovely, lovely spring for weeks. But when the Blackberries start to bloom you know that there is going to be a cold snap, as my Mamaw would say. While the blackberries are in full bloom the temperatures will drop again and we will be in the midst of Blackberry winter.
Now you know. Do you have this phenomenon where you live? Do tell, inquiring minds want to know!