New England in Springtime: A Love-Hate Relationship

We've once again entered the time of year when I come out of a winter depression I didn't fully realize I had. The Seasonal Affective Disorder (can you really believe they call it "S.A.D."?) abates and I begin to fantasize about the days ahead when I can enjoy a cocktail on the waterfront decks in Portsmouth as the sun lazily sets around 8:30 p.m.

But before summer truly arrives, I have to deal with the teasing and tormenting of spring.

There are many things I love about spring in New Hampshire:
- The obscene amounts of snow we've had start to melt
- The anomalous 60-degree day
- I can run outside again
- Summer-time seafood restaurants and ice cream shops open for the season
- Daylight, daylight, daylight
- My weekend travel plans are no longer weather-dependent

However, there are several things that are not my preference about spring in New Hampshire:
- The obscene amounts of snow we've had start to melt -- and cause flooding, mud, and other mini-natural disasters
- The anomalous 60-degree day . . . that's followed by another 20-degree day
- I can run outside again . . . and should really start training for the Redhook 5K race that the Taylor team is doing in May
- The inevitable March or April snow storm
- Rising gas prices

Let me know when it's safe to ditch the winter coat and don the flip-flops. I know I have them in my closet under the gloves and scarves and coats, somewhere . . .