Never mind the mud, the snow mold, the splashes, the occasional chilly April wind and showers, and all that junk that has been left behind by winter, because it is now just about full-blown spring, and there are so many great things to celebrate and be thankful for.
While we were out and about this week in the fresh air, one just had to get really pumped to see so many folks bravely strutting sassy shorts and t-shirts, raking and primping their yards, as well as the always welcome invasion of a jolly host of bikes, skateboards, scooters, and even the odd motor bike and convertible. These are only a few of the super signs of spring, and there will, of course, be many more as the days get longer and the sun gets hotter. With hopes that most everyone can finally toss off the long-winter woes and get outside, there will of course be some of us fanatics who will set our early spring schedule to include the NHL. playoffs, and as avid Canucks, we may even cheer for the Montreal Canadiens.
There will always be those who will dig their toys out of the garage and gaze longingly at our local golf courses, ball-diamonds, and playing fields, while others are already out in their presently boring brown yards and so anxious to turn them into a green and growing wonderland of nature. How great it is to see the majestic flocks of geese and other winged species arriving from their Florida playground, and even though they can be rather noisy and pesky, the crows and magpies are among the world’s best garbage and road kill scavengers. You can tell by the fabulous aromas that the barbecue season is already in full swing, and it won’t be long before the traditional community garage sales will be luring outdoor bargain and treasure hunters to friendly neighbourhood yards. I don’t know what kids do nowadays to celebrate the arrival of spring, but here are some of the adventures that most of us seniors will recall when we were growing up in and around good old Ponoka.
● Trying to snare those elusive gophers was a real challenge, but some of the older boys got pretty good with their 22’s, and in the early days, the county paid out a nickel for each tail.
● We would spend hours scrounging for wood, tin, and other junk to build our tree huts and forts, from which we waged many neighbourhood fun-wars for hours, but wouldn’t dare be late for supper.
● Once the river was clear of ice, we dug in the soft dirt for the biggest wiggly worms that we could put on our fish-hooks and try to catch a big jack-fish or snag a slimy sucker. When it got warmer, we might even go swimming in the lazy old Battle, often skinny dipping, as long as the nosy girls weren’t around.
● We rode our bikes for hours, sometimes pulling a wagon to deliver papers, and often riding double if our buddy didn’t have wheels. One of the biggest projects, which took weeks, was building a raft to float on the nearest slew, with hope that it didn’t sink the first time out.
● Playing ball and soccer and tennis and football and marbles was a great treat, but we always had to learn how to share, because there was usually only one ball, or bat, or racket in the entire neighbourhood. We invented other games such as pump-pump-pull-away, kick the can, hide and seek, and red rover, making up our own rules as we went, and occasionally invited the girls to join in.
● With the coming of spring the rules around households was for the kids to help with the clean-up and yard chores. We usually got pretty dirty and had to be hosed down before going into the house, but if we were rewarded with a quarter we would rush to the Riverside Store for treats. We were allowed to play in the evenings after supper and homework, and might even get to watch a little television before hitting the sack at 8:00 p.m., but maybe a little later on the weekend or holidays.
● On the weekends or holidays, we were outside most of the day, coming home only for meals, a band aid, and a quick change if we got soaked or ripped our pants. We slept really good at night, loved to go out visiting with our parents, and could hardly wait for summer to go to camp or on a holiday with the family.
● Rainy days were for reading, puzzles, games, or digging out the old Meccano or train set and pretending to build our own indoor world. We always had lots of face to face friends, and tried to make a new buddy every day.
Please enjoy spring to the fullest doing what you want to do, always joining others at the same spring fling, and have a great week, all of you.
HAMMERTIME