Off and On the Mountain

March is playing games again.  Warm weather, cold weather.  Rain, snow, ice.  Let’s see how many different kinds of weather can be found in a single month.

Some days I think mud season has begun. The next day I’m slipping on more ice.  Down off the mountain, the weather is more spring-like. There, the snow is gone, even the patches.  Up by my cabin, I still have patches of snow and ice.  Overnight the temperature drops below freezing, if not always by much.  Heading down off the mountain is a bit like visiting a different season, even though “off the mountain” is only a mile or so away.  This is the time of year, though, where the weather difference between the mountain and the cultivated valley is pronounced.

I usually feel a bit overdressed when I’m off the mountain. Not overdressed in the sense of wearing fancy dress, but overdressed in the sense of a heavier coat, hat and gloves when the valley folks are wearing only lighter jackets and if running between buildings, perhaps not even wearing a jacket if it’s sunny and the wind is calm.  For me, that’s not yet an option up on the mountain.  If I rush out without a jacket or a hat, I’m soon back inside looking for that.  It’s not quite that warm here yet, not even in the sun.  Maybe next week.