The Fifth Season

We don't have four seasons in Northern New England. We have five. The fifth season is called “Mud.” It's a real season. A whole winter's worth of snow begins to melt, add some rain, and we have mud season.

Unpaved roads are closed. Paved roads have load limits placed on them. The roads are are open have pot holes and huge frost heaves. I just had my exhaust system reattached. A neighbor had to replace all the shock absorbers on her car.

Mostly though, there is the mud, lots of it. Some of us have whole wardrobes that only come out at mud season. High rubber boots are essential for getting anything done around the house. Wear clothes that you aren't too fond of.

Even the local architecture reflects the season. Many houses, including mine, have a mud room. It's a transitional place between the outdoors and the house proper. It's where the mud wardrobe is deposited and house clothes and footwear put on. Ideally, there's a washer and dryer in there. A shower would be nice too. Mud rooms aren't so much cleaned as shoveled out.

Eventually all the snow's melted, the rain stops, and the sun does its magic. We leave mud season behind for a 10 day to 2 week period known as “Spring.” Some locals don't really belive in spring. They stick with the traditional four seasons: summer, fall, winter and mud.

-Sixbears