Sumer Is Icumen In

Alhamdulillah, the weather has warmed up considerably. Last spring, after I told my wife we could put away the heaters for the year, it snowed heavily, and that was April. Thus, I'm not going to feel totally secure until it's May. Summer in Amman is air-conditioned compared to Egypt. Last year, I visited Egypt in the late summer: morning and evening, indoors and out, there was no escape from the heat except close to water in Alexandria. Actually, I love Amman's weather in the spring and summer.

Another wonderful thing about spring in Jordan is the truly fresh ewe and goat dairy. Ewe milk almost tastes like you're drinking cream and sugar. Drink it raw, boys and girls.

Traditionally, Jordanians say that the coldest days of winter start on December 22 and last for 40 days. For the past three winters, the cold has really started in mid to late January. This raises a question: if long-term climatic changes are in the works, are seasons to be defined by their traditional dates or by the actual weather present? The latter would seem more logical, as no one in Australia considers their warm weather to be winter just because it occurs in December. Would it then be right to say that winter in Jordan starts in mid January?