You can file today’s post under the category, “You have too much time on your hands in early retirement.” But recently, I have unilaterally taken on the job of ‘rearranging’ the seasons of the year.
You may not think the seasons need rearranging – nor that I am authorized by anyone to do this – but I have long noticed that the astronomical seasons are mis-timed to our climatology and don’t relate well to the cadence of our annual activities.
Our current 4-season model is inherited from the Societas Meteorologica Palatina, which made it official in 1780. It is an astronomical ‘reckoning’ of the seasons based on 3 month divisions of the 12 month Gregorian calendar. It was spread around the world by scientists & European colonization, and I think due for an update.
Ancient societies around the world had different seasonal reckonings, including a 6-season model in ancient India and Southeast Asia. Even today, Ecologists use a 6-season model which Wikipedia says are not tied to any fixed calendar dates and called: “prevernal, vernal, estival, serotinal, autumnal, and hibernal.”
I have long thought that in our Minnesota climate & culture, there is an opportunity to split Winter, Spring, and Summer into multiple seasons each – aligned with changes in weather, nature & activities – and include a ‘Holiday’ season at the end of the year. I put my new calendar cadence into this chart …
I doubt this new division of the seasons will gain much influence in the world, but I’ve been using it in my own head for awhile now and it works pretty well. I feel a bit more ‘centered’ into where I am in the calendar year and what’s coming up when.
I’ve even started to note when certain activities of ours should be timed, which weather/phrenology cues go with each period, and family traditions that can mark the start/finish of certain seasons.
Of course, the dates and seasonal breaks that I picked may not line-up well if you live in a different part of the country (or world) where the climate is quite different than Minnesota. I’ll be interested in your thoughts on that.
Again, you can file this under having too much time on my hands, but as I’ve said many times, early retirement is like a wonderful second childhood. What kid hasn’t playfully daydreamed away some time recreating the world how they saw fit?
Have A Great Weekend – Enjoy Your GLORIOUS SUMMER!
Image Credit: (c) MrFireStation.com
MrFireStation 
Interesting take on the seasons. Of course I always thought that one of my retirement goals would be to remove “deep freeze” and “winter cabin fever” seasons, similar to the same way the bird do by migrating south. That way doubling up on Glorious summer seasons.
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Yes, I was thinking of our own ‘seasonal arbitrage’ when I did this! We went to sunny Florida for half of the ‘Deep Freeze’ last year, but came home to ‘Cabin Fever’ – which was longer than ever with the pandemic. Next year – germs permitting – we will escape to the sun even longer. Trading the chill for extra ‘Glorious Summer’ is a great trade, j deed!
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