This is March.
This month has been less extreme than the last. While there has been some colder weather, it has not dropped below 40 or 50 for the most part. The past week has seen a foggy, drizzly day, many humid days, some sunny, hot days, and some days that began with a cool breeze before the sun came out and turned up the heat. One bizarre thing that occurred was a day when it was 92 degrees and sunny, but in various parts of town there were heavy showers and even quarter sized hail. This is Texas though, so we wear shorts, a sweater, rain boots, carry bullet proof umbrellas, and bring wind breakers around if we are smart. Texas weather is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.
Another notable occurrence was that I got my first sun burn of the year on Sunday, March 30th. I was working at the farmers market. The day began in the high 60’s and I grabbed a sweater and scarf. Luckily it warmed up to the high 80’s. It was a very sunny day, and my jewelry booth didn’t provide enough shade to keep the sun off my back. I am very pale and prone to getting burned. It is safe to say Summer is around the corner. I can tell based on the shade of red my sunburns are. Anyway, Sunday also happened to be windy. It may have been easy to miss for any average Joe, but the wind piped up every ten minutes or so, and it sent my inventory scattering to the ground. One massive gust caused my booth’s tent legs to come off of the ground, even though they were weighted down with bricks. The wind caused two necklaces to break! It was quite obnoxious.
Today is Monday March 31st. I went on a walk in my neighborhood. Here are some pictures from my walk.
It was partly cloudy, but a generally sunny day. This morning, as I waited to be picked up from school, I noticed that it was very breezy. On my walk later this afternoon, it seemed much more calm and hotter. I love spring in Texas because the plants are happy. We get the wild flowers blooming, which have really started popping up this month. I have seen Blue Bonnets on campus!
I first noticed this year’s Blue Bonnets over spring break when I went to Corpus Christi, Texas, which is on the gulf. It obviously isn’t in Travis County, but I still noticed a lot about Texas in March. It was sunny and breezy there as well. The friend I was visiting pointed out birds with funny beaks that had started taking over her neighborhood. She said she had never seen one before, and then suddenly they were everywhere. I wondered why this was the case. I also saw a Dolphin in the bay. It was extremely close to shore. I mentioned it to my friend and she said she hadn’t seen them at the dock since she was very little. According to her, they haven’t been swimming that close to shore for quite a while. I wondered if her information was accurate and what might cause the dolphins to be coming back. This is a slight tangent, but they are interesting notes about Texas Wildlife in March nonetheless. Overall, the main things I have noted this month are the humidity spells, the hotter weather, and the wild flowers.
In Texas, Blue Bonnets are illegal to pick. I am pretty sure you are allowed to mow them down though (not positive). In any case, I will not admit to picking Blue Bonnets, but I will say I am tempted.—— “All conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish.” -Aldo Leopold
