It’s a novelty, really. A Southeast Texas spring that feels like… actual spring.
Today, the mercury is sitting right at a perfect 70°F, and the ceiling fans on the back porch are creating the kind of breeze that asks you—no, demands you—to sit still for an hour, or maybe three. I decided to accept the invitation.
It felt novel. I haven’t done much of just sitting this year. I grabbed my coffee, took possession of my rocking chair, and focused on the essentials: the design of the back porch, the shocking expanse of truly blue sky, and the crisp, green scent of freshly mown grass.
I know how lucky I am. How often do you truly get to enjoy 70° weather in Alvin, Texas, during the sprint toward summer? Last week we were hitting 80°, and the prognosticators are already calling for 90° by Saturday. This perfect window is an anomaly, and I am milking it for every comfortable minute it’s worth.
But even a perfect afternoon on the porch comes with a little reflection.
Yesterday, on my way home, my eyes snagged on something new—or rather, a sign indicating something new was coming.
There’s a ‘For Sale’ sign posted on that last big chunk of property up the road. It’s not a vast acreage, maybe 30 or so, but it’s significant. It’s a thick, untouched rectangle of woods that always made me feel like the ‘country’ was still within arm’s reach.
We all know how this story goes in Southeast Texas. They have just about filled that massive new subdivision around the corner. I will bet money somebody will scoop this new parcel up immediately, not to preserve it, but to build more houses, pour more concrete, and add another grid to the map.
And with that, another remnant of woods will bite the dust.
It makes sitting on this porch, enjoying this brief, perfect 70° breeze, feel a little more vital, doesn’t it? It’s a reminder that the views we take for granted are often just borrowing time.
So today, I’m holding onto the view, the smell of the cut grass, and the novelty of a breeze that isn’t heavy with humidity. While the remnants still remain.
