In looking at a calendar, the official first day of spring is apparently this Saturday, which makes sense because as I write this, there is snow on the ground and the temperature is around 20 degrees.
Pure Michigan, right?
I guess we should be used to these crazy seasons by now, but I’m not sure we ever are.
Sometimes, it’s warm on Christmas and freezing on Easter. Or the opposite. We just never know how to prepare.
Around this time every year is when Spring Break is a focal point for lots of folks, and who can blame them? If given the chance, I think a lot of us would love to get rid of the winter blues for a week or so and head someplace warm. Or at least away from Michigan.
As the snow and ice melt and we can see grass and roads again, it’s also that special time of the year, and a Michigan tradition, for pothole season to start. These things show up everywhere. And we can’t avoid them. They’re like the person at local stores coming after you to switch your cell phone or cable TV plans. No matter where you turn, boom, there they are.
This time of year isn’t all gloom and doom, though.
The school year is almost 75 percent complete, and that means summer is inching its way towards us. That means the pool gets uncovered, the grill gets fired up, and pants and hoodies can be put away for a couple months.
And now that the lockout is over, Major League Baseball is back on the schedule for this summer. The Detroit Tigers have been rebuilding for five years, and this may be the year they again make some noise down at Comerica Park. The team has been mildly exciting the past couple years, and this year could be the year pieces of the puzzle start coming together.
Summer is also about family time. No rushing from one school activity or sport to the next, though I know at some point when the kids are older, we’ll miss that, but the warmer months mean meals outside on the deck, longer nights at the bonfire, and that priceless time spent together. Family time is year-round, but the sunnier days from May through August just seem more special.
Alright, time to shovel. Or put on sunscreen. Probably both.
— Matt Mackinder