Ranking Solano's seasons, worst to first

Mrs. Brad and I were in the Sierra Nevada on the first day of fall. It snowed.

Meanwhile, in our hometown of Suisun City, it was in the mid-70s and sunny, which goes to show you at least one thing: Your perception of a season largely depends on where you spend it. Winter in Wisconsin is not winter in Hawaii. Summer in Alabama is not summer in Alaska. Falling in a sand pit is not the same as falling into a wood chipper, although that's a different issue.

Since I live in Solano County and I like to rank things (I've previously ranked generations, decades, punctuation marks and holidays, for instance), it's natural to rank the four seasons in our region (summer, fall, winter, spring. Not Frankie Valli's singing group nor the 1981 Carol Burnett-Alan Alda film), based on a scientific compilation of selective facts, feelings and personal history.

Starting from the bottom:

4. Winter: The best thing about winter here: It's better than elsewhere. It's not as cold, our rain isn't as plentiful, our fog isn't as bad.

Still, that's like saying that Hot Pockets aren't as bad as hot dogs . . . a dubious honor. When you support something by saying it's not as bad as it could be, you make a losing argument. Winter is dark, wet, cold and dreary. It includes all of January and February, our worst months. The best day of the season is Christmas, which comes four days into winter and is followed by three months of dreariness.

3. Fall: Few things are more predictable than the insistence of women in their 30s and 40s that they love fall. The only problem? They're wrong (just like they're wrong about pumpkin spice flavors, Ryan Gosling's acting talent and "The Bachelor").

However . . . fall in Solano County is a time of glorious weather (usually in the 70s and 80s until early November), overshadowed by two negatives: Days get shorter and fall actually lasts until Dec. 21, which is dreary, cold and dark. The good things? High school football returns (we can hear the Armijo High public address announcer and the cheering crowds from our house), heat waves are largely gone and the best holiday (Thanksgiving) takes place.

Fall in Solano County is better than spring and summer in many other places. But not here.

2. Summer: I grew up in a town where summer meant fog and 60-degree days, so when Mrs. Brad and I moved here, it was glorious. One-hundred degree days? Bring 'em on!

Decades of living here changed my view. Somewhat.

I still love warm weather, but don't enjoy heat waves. And when we get heat waves (arguably the worst weather events in Solano County, which is saying something), they're in the summer. But here's what else is in the summer: Outdoor community activities, camping, plenty of 85-degree days, late nights of sunshine.

For my money, summer is a winner. Just not the winner.

1. Spring: Just the name seems great: Spring! The weather gets warmer and the days get longer. It means the start of baseball, the NBA playoffs, the end of the school year and the start of outdoor activities. We're never more optimistic than springtime.

Warm weather, vacations, more sunlight? Spring is the best season here.

And in just more than five months, it will return!

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.