The Slice: It’s the time of the season

There’s a problem with living in a four-seasons climate.

People think the season they like least lasts forever. They say that over and over. As a result, that seeps into our community mindset and takes on the appearance of reality.

That’s why so many of us believe we have extra-long, brutal winters here. Every year.

You know we don’t. But the winter-haters are undeterred. And to be fair to them, they really believe what they’re saying.

Here’s how this works.

Let’s say your favorite season is summer. For many of us, that would be true.

So anyway, you spend June, July and August camping and boating and what-not. The season zooms by in a flash. Before you know it, summer is over.

Then comes autumn, which, by the way, officially starts later this week.

Countless residents of the Spokane area spend the first part of fall shaking their heads and muttering about how fast the summer went by.

Then, guess what. Winter approaches and, for many of our friends and neighbors, time stands still.

Here’s the thing, though. We often get an early snowfall accompanied by a mid-autumn cold snap. That is usually followed by a stretch of more typical fall weather. You know, brisk but not frigid. Light jacket weather.

Winter won’t really commence in earnest for weeks.

But do the winter haters in our midst wait to start the meter on their least favorite season? They do not. In their view, winter commenced with the first premature snowflake. And it won’t be over until the marmots are sunning on the rocks and springtime allergies bring us the annual festival of phlegm.

This is crazy. We don’t declare the onset of summer upon the arrival of a warmish day in late March. Do we?

I am not without sympathy, in one respect.

Once we get the first dusting of snow or it rains and then the temperature dips to freezing for a few hours overnight, all bets are off when it comes to driving conditions. Negotiating slippery streets is something about which even those who embrace winter would agree: It can wipe the smile off your face in a hurry.

That, however, does not mean winter lasts half the year. At least not in Spokane.

I realize, of course, that writing this all but guarantees the winter of 2016-17 will arrive early and stay late.

But I don’t suppose skiers would mind.

Today’s Slice question: What secret did you keep until those who might have been hurt by this knowledge were gone?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Some of us have skateboarding scars older than most of our co-workers.