All things being equal, as the length of our day and night were
yesterday, spring is here and we have reason to be happy.
All things being equal, as the length of our day and night were yesterday, spring is here and we have reason to be happy.
The vernal equinox is not an over-hyped occasion, during which we buy greeting cards (“Your love is as sweet as the autumnal equinox” doesn’t work) and have prix fixe deals at fancy restaurants. Rather, it’s a time to celebrate the fact that we made it through the winter.
That last statement is a bit over-hyped on my part, as we don’t have much of a winter in Hollister compared to other parts of the nation.
Trees on my street have budded or blossomed and leaves are beginning to emerge from their winter slumber. A good sign of spring is the dandelions that have sprung around my front lawn, heralding warm days and twice a week lawn mowing.
At school, students are reminded in the daily bulletin that “Now that the warm weather is here, there is no need for you to be wearing your hoods.” To which they respond, “Sure there is; how else am I supposed to hide my I-pod headphones?”
It’s March Madness time in college basketball and spring training in baseball. The Giants and A’s have no regular season losses yet – they’ll be here soon enough – and the Golden State Warriors are in playoff contention.
Locally, Hollister Little League begins its 54th season with opening ceremonies a week from today. The season will kick off the next morning, March 29.
Measure T, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax increase that is designed to fund city services, will go into effect on April 1 (that’s 11 days away, no fooling). That’s not something to celebrate, but hopefully it will do what supporters have hoped and help restore some of the services that have been cut back.
Tomorrow, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post will hold its annual Easter egg hunt at Vet’s Park starting at 1 p.m. It seems like not too long ago that my wife and I brought our boys to the park to excitedly search for eggs and maybe catch a glimpse of the Easter Bunny.
Now, the boys don’t believe in the Easter Bunny – an admittedly tough character for parents to defend (he/she/it is no Santa Claus). The boys do believe in eating chocolate Easter Bunnies, so they don’t want us to totally ignore tradition.
A downside to spring is the rampant fever it causes. Attendance starts to dip at school – particularly among high school seniors who can’t wait to hit the real world; teachers start counting the workdays until summer break (who said 48?); people in offices (the real world that students want to get to so badly) start dreaming about being outside instead of at their desk.
So let’s celebrate longer and warmer days; the impending arrival of our economic stimulus “tax rebate” checks from the federal government; and the reawakening of nature after a winter’s rest.
Happy Easter!
