I love springtime. The beautiful cool mornings with comfortable temperatures by mid day are invigorating. In Idaho we do not have to live in fear of the tornadoes that ravage the Midwest and, this year, the south. The wind does blow a bit, not enough to tip over your car, but it does affect the golf swing. As a golf aside, the harder the wind blows remember to hit more club and take a shorter and easier swing. Counterintuitive advice that is tried and true. I believe the applicable law may be that things in balance tend to stay in balance. It is also the season for yard work. I enjoy firing up the lawnmower, hedge trimmer, chain saw and getting a good rake work out. Trimming and pruning are early season tasks that produce great results. Mix the yard work in with a few hours of golf and it is what spring and retirement are all about. What could possibly go wrong.
Well with a bit of research you will discover that yard work can be dangerous. The number one accident that happens in the garden is a fall. The fall is not the most dangerous thing that can happen, cuts from all those tools get the nod with the lawnmower being the prime danger. Flower pots are listed as dangerous, no details were provided. No big surprise, back injuries are prevalent as generally not in shape folks try to lift or carry something that is too heavy. I tell you this as I must inform my friends of the dangers of pushing the composting bin with the lid open. I had just filled the bin and had it on a steep part of my front garden. As I pushed it down the hill I stepped on the dragging lip of the lid which unweighted the wheels and the chain reaction left me looking like the loser in a cage match. I was a bit stunned, very embarrassed and at the same time very fortunate it was not worse.
I think I saw a few stars, I would recommend you get your buzz from smelling the roses or a few glasses of your favorite beverage. I was curious about the old saying “spring has sprung”. It is attributed to Ogden Nash or EE Cummings but it actually goes further back in time. The anonymous author wrote, “spring has sprung, grass has ritz, I wonders where the birdies is.” Catchy rhyming words that it turns out are timeless.
I would hope spring would find our country uniting to support our allies and Ukrainian friends. We could come together to celebrate a truly qualified Supreme Court candidate. We could hope self serving political non sense would fade away. We could hope the former US President gets what he truly deserves. We can hope the Russian people can find a leader who cares about them. Hope springs eternal.
No joke. The best thing about April first – it’s Clio Thomas Haga’s birthday. Our beautiful granddaughter turns 5 today. Join me in wishing her the happiest day of this week.
Be safe out there. Mike