Phoenix is not Argentina

The climate in Phoenix isn't the opposite of temperate climes, not in the way that the northern hemisphere seasons are the opposite of the seasons in the southern hemisphere. The seasons in Argentina proceed in the same order - winter, spring, summer, fall - and with the same transitions in between, as the seasons do in Utah or Ohio, roughly speaking. Winter is preceded by cooling temperatures and shortening days, accompanied by our slow, though never complete, withdrawal into our homes and offices and cars and coats.

In Phoenix, our winter is also marked by cooling temperatures and shortening days, but contrary to people in Ohio and Argentina, we aren't withdrawing into our houses and cars and coats, but coming out of them. As the temperatures cool, we come out to play. We start enjoying ourselves outside, after the forbidding heat and sunshine of spring and summer. The outdoors slowly become more and more habitable and even hospitable. Argentinians don't look forward to winter any more than Ohioans do. Phoenicians, on the other hand, can't wait for winter.

I've been living here in Phoenix for almost five years now, and this is just now sinking deep into me. I look forward to winter, as the temperatures cool from extreme heat and blinding, sapping sunlight, to shortened days and cool mornings. Those are the signs that I can bear to spend time outside. Those are the signs that I can start growing things outside in the soil - what there is of it. Cool mornings and shorter periods of daylight mean I can open my windows and doors. I can plan outdoor activities. I can start barbecuing!

So, for us here in Phoenix, we are at the start of the season for guests, for friends and family to visit and spend time down here with us as we relax and enjoy our season of time off and time out - as we enjoy winter.