Full Responsibility

This is all my fault.

I should have known.

I should have known better than to jump the gun, get too confident, get carried away.

I was too hasty, too bold.

I should have thought twice or even once, if I’m honest.

Maybe it was the green grass or the bright sunshine or the flowers all suddenly in bloom.

Maybe it was just good old-fashioned optimism or hope against hope.

Whatever it was, I did a deed I can’t now take back. What’s done is done, done and dusted, there’s no going back.

Fine. I’ll just say it.

I put away my sweaters.

I know. I KNOW. I can’t believe it either. In May, of all months. How could I?

I put away my sweaters to make room for lighter fare — t-shirts and dresses in light fabrics and even lighter colors.

I put away my sweaters and while I was at it I tucked away my boots too.

“Won’t need these,” I thought as a soft breeze carried birdsongs and woodsy scents through the windows and I tried on the sandals I bought last summer.

I put away my sweaters save for a few lightweight options for chilly evenings or overly air conditioned restaurants. I put away my sweaters and it has been raining and cold ever since. At least the snow brush is still in my car. I refuse to budge that until at least mid-June. The sweaters, though, I thought I could get away with it. I thought we might be in the clear.

So, with that, allow me to extend my deepest apologies. I’m sorry and I take full responsibility for Mother Nature’s recent recall of Spring. It was me. I’m the one. I’m the culprit. I’m to blame. I did it.

I should have known.

Guilty.

This essay originally appeared in my column in the May 29, 2025 edition of the Perry Herald in Perry, NY.