September: The most deceiving month (along with March)

Happy Labor Day! It's one of those holidays where almost no one gives any real thought to the meaning of it. So get out there and, uh, celebrate.

The most significant thing about Labor Day is that it signifies the arrival of September. And I always start out loving September because there's a part of me that thinks fall is finally here.

Which is patently false, of course. Summer doesn't end until September is 2/3rds over, and around here in Northeast Ohio, summer does sometimes tend to hang on for dear life.

Which is kind of a ripoff, because I like the fall. A lot. I like the temperatures, I like the scenery, and I like the feel in the air.

But the first few weeks of September are almost always a lot like the last few weeks in August - summery. So I end up disappointed because, by this point, I'm kind of ready for summer to be over.

I actually spend a good chunk of the year in that state. When it's winter, I want it to be spring. When it's spring, I'm ready for the warmth of summer. And by the time summer is two months old, I'm ready for changing leaves, high school football games, and 50 degrees on the thermometer.

The only time I really don't look forward to the change of seasons is the fall-to-winter transition. That one can take its time, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, I do actually like the snow, but I like it in small, controlled doses.

And there are quite often times in my neck of the woods when the snowfall is neither "small" nor "controlled."

People around here tend to hate March most of all, because March is the ultimate tease. Yes, spring starts in March, but much like September, it makes you wait those extra few weeks before making it official.

We've had some of our worst blizzards in March, and those are just demoralizing. After weeks and weeks of battling ice and shoveling snow, you're ready for something warmer than 35 degrees, and March only gives it to you in frustratingly tiny sneak peeks.

If it weren't for the fact that we have so many March birthdays in my family, I would be all for eliminating it from the calendar altogether.

I'm writing this post a good two weeks in advance, so I have no idea what the weather will be like when you're reading this. But if it's sunny and 85 degrees, you can bet I'll be spending the day indoors with the air conditioning cranked up and wearing a sweater, pretending it's late October. I can dream.