I grew up (well, got older, at least) mostly in Wisconsin. I hated the leaden gray skies that seemed to descend in late October and didn't relinquish their hold on your soul until late April. Gordon Bok had a wonderful line in one of his songs about how a sad man's life "seemed twelve Novembers long..."

In my childhood, I longed to live Somewhere Warm. Now, however, I realize that I wouldn't ever want to live somewhere where there wasn't some snow, and where the ebb and flow of four seasons measure the days of the year. Autumn and Spring are my favorite times of the year, for the changes in the natural world around us are most visible then.