The Six Seasons Of Nova Scotia

2001, Mike Spencer

In Nova Scotia we (for very local values of "we") have six seasons:

Fall
Canadian Thanksgiving to late December. Gradual transition from Heaven to Huddle (q.v., infra)
Solstice
Late December to Jan 4, sit by the fire, read books, drink cider or single-malt, ignore world. Make fudge, pralines and piggies1, bake chocolate chip cookies, ginger cake, chocolate pie. Swill espresso.
Huddle
Jan 5 to mid-May. Ice, snow, rain, freezing rain, blattering rain, mud, fog, black t'ick o' fog. Did I mention cold rain? Ice-mousing season for the cat. 2 Haul storm-wracked seaweed from beach to garden.
Spring
Mid-May to end of June. Till and plant gardens, worry about rain, of which there is either way too much or way too little. Onset of blackflies, ticks and mosquitoes. Worry about late frosts.
Hustle
July and August. Tourists arrive. People's horrible kids are released on probation from school to annoy adults. Worry about tasks that have to get done in good weather. Social calendar becomes crowded with events, both of which require clean jeans.
Heaven
Labor day to Canadian Thanksgiving (in October) No bugs, no tourists, perfect weather, ripe tomatoes. Too late to worry about warm weather tasks undone, too early to worry about winter tasks yet to do.

[1] Piggies: Brazil nuts, wrapped in caramel fondant, dipped in semisweet chocolate.

[2] Ice-mousing: Like ice-fishing. The cat wanders around on the crusty snow til he finds a promising hole, sits beside it and waits for a mouse or a meadow vole to poke its nose up through. Lunch.