April Showers and How the Jet Stream Influences the Work We Undertake

Sweet April showers 
Do spring May flowers
- English Folk Rhyme

Here in Northeast Ohio, the April showers may not be as sweet as the rhyme suggests. The jet stream shifts north and starts pulling moisture off the Atlantic, folding it into whatever the land is doing that week. Warm ground, cold air, and a forecast soaked in indecision. One day brings sleet, sludge, and the feeling that winter will leave when it’s good and ready. The will bring warm breezes, sun on your face, and the excitement of putting on shorts to head out for a long bike ride. Then, naturally, the temperature plummets again, the hats and gloves come back out, and we’re grateful false spring did not fully talk us into packing away the sweaters.

You cannot plan April perfectly, but you can plan around its habits. In our area that usually means expecting rain for a good chunk of the month and making peace with the constant adjustment. There is always a certain comfort in giving into the weather we wake up to. Choosing to cozy up with a warm cup of tea. The excuse to stop for a moment and watch the rain come down. The reminder that nature does eventually sort itself out, even if it takes its time. Soon enough the weather settles, the flowers bloom, the pollinators reemerge, and the ground gets back to work. Patience, in other words, is part of the season. Here at Interrobang it’s part of the work too. Projects tend to shift with the conditions, change shape midstream, and occasionally take an abrupt turn that reminds us that back in nineteen ninety eight the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcers table.