At last, it’s spring according to the calendar. The signs have been showing up for some time. Road crews removed the snow fences from rural fields. Plans to get together with friends quit including the caveat, if weather permits. TV ads hawking over-the-counter allergy remedies replace those for cold and flu medicines. Robins hop around brown lawns. Dandelions pop up in sheltered places. Sprouting rhubarb creates visions of tasty pies.
It also creates a few problems. Pot holes appear in all of the roads aggravating motorists. Farmers beginning field work often temporarily tie up traffic when moving their equipment from place to place.
The warmer temperatures bring out young mothers pushing baby strollers along village sidewalks. At the grocery store, some of the men shopping are wearing shorts and revealing their winter-white legs.
Yard sales around the neighborhood show the results of people cleaning out storage areas and adjusting to growing children. Residents roll out grills, picnic tables and patio furniture for outdoor gatherings. We can enjoy longer daylight, especially since the time change.
Practices begin for the many forms of ball played by all ages: Little Leagues for youngsters, softball teams for teens and adults plus slow pitch for the aging athletes.
I miss the signs that I was accustomed to seeing but have gone by the wayside. Few housewives engage in vigorous, spring cleaning, which included washing windows inside and out. Grade-schoolers no longer use chalk to draw a hopscotch design and play the game on concrete walks. Younger children aren’t enjoying a backyard swing set. No more basketball hoops on garage roofs with teenagers in the driveways trying to duplicate one another’s shots in a game of HORSE. Failure gave the player one letter in the word–the loser was the first to complete the word.
What means spring to you?