It is April 2nd and I am chomping at the bit…which I’ve always considered to be a strange phrase. It means you are eager to start something but you are held back. Okay where was I?
There is so much that I want to do now that spring is here and we are done with March but early spring here in southern New England can be a challenge. You have to admit that we had a pretty tame winter but the spring warm up has yet to come. And usually, when it does, it’s just for a day or two and then the wind picks up again.
I believe I’ve mentioned how I live by the ocean in Fairhaven and when the wind is blowing off the cold Atlantic you can feel it. In the summer it’s great! I used to work in downtown New Bedford and you could literally feel the temperature drop five or ten degrees when I got near my neighborhood. That is fantastic in July or August. March and April? Not so much. We have a friend who recently moved to our little peninsula here from just a few miles inland and commented, “It’s cold here!”
On the Podcast Friday I mentioned that the Spring sports season is underway at area high schools. I remember my own kids getting excited to be back on the field but then… 38 degrees with added wind gusts. We spent a few bucks on plenty of Cold Gear so they could try to stay warm. And I think one year we bought a case of hand warmers to be worn inside the glove while out in the field. I would be there cheering with my winter coat and maybe a blanket. And who can forget that wonderful feeling of fouling off a ball near the hands with an aluminum or composite bat! Your hands would sting for the rest of the game.
It’s good to watch baseball again but I think I’ll just watch from the comfort of my living room. I watched Opening Day for the Red Sox and those people looked cold. It was blustery with temperatures below 40. I went to one Opening Day with my Uncle Joe back in the 70s. I remember wearing my Snorkel coat (remember those?) and I think there were even flurries. And since when has baseball started in March? I remember the opener always being in April.
I look at my hearty jonquils and I’m amazed they bloom so early. Their color is definitely welcome before anything else blooms. Usually by this time of year I’m tired of seeing the bare trees but it will be awhile before they bloom.
I bought some seeds for my garden the other day but a friend told me I should wait until Memorial Day just to be sure we were done with frost warnings. Memorial Day?
On average, your frost-free growing season starts May 26 and ends Sep 12, totalling 109 days
garden.org
It’s also about this time of year that you look through your closet in the morning and think, “ANOTHER Flannel shirt day?” I was excited to take them out in the fall but, I have to admit, I’m ready for shorts and polos. But…maybe not this week.
When I was doing the morning radio show I would always talk about Bulgarelli Spring. George Bulgarelli was a well known meteorologist in the Berkshires who always said that spring arrives in New England about three weeks after the calendar says it did. And I believe he’s right. So based on that, we should start to see things warm up next week.
In the meantime I think I’ll keep my flannel shirts and heavy jacket available. Do you think I can safely put the snow shovels away? Maybe I’ll wait another week.
Miss any past Sunday Columns? You can catch up my clicking here.
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