all mixed up

Anybody else feeling a little mixed up by the weather? I've lived north of the Mason-Dixon line for most of my life and as a kid there were years I'd had my first snowball fight by now. I've been out on my bike a little the past few days, and it's a little disorienting. Wonderful, but confusing. 34th street in Hampden is already getting decorated, and it feels like those subdivisions you see in Florida with the fake snow on top of the rancher houses. I've been itching to get out and hike and kick some leaves. I usually associate the outdoors with cold weather, probably because as a Boy Scout, we went on all our campouts in the fall and spring. At night I'd run from the fire to my tent and then try and cover as much of my head as possible short of leaving a breathing hole for my nose. In the morning, sometimes there would actually be frost on my shoes. Without getting out, I'd pull my clothes into my sleeping bag and clench my body, as if I could mentally make my heart beat faster to warm my shirt and pants more quickly. My tentmate and I would laugh at the cold and each other's eyes peeking out of the tops of our sacks and somebody in another tent moaning while the Scoutmaster tried to get him up to make breakfast. Textureslut organized a kickball game on Saturday that got chilly because it went nearly until dark. I finally felt like I was in the right time of year. I think it was the manhole cover as home base that really took me back. I'm looking forward to round 2. Anybody want to play kick the can?