I think I was 16 years old. It was March 31, and the day was warm and wonderful. My mom asked me to clean up the leaves under the bushes, so, being the very good boy that I always* was, I got to work. When I was done, the small patches of unmelted snow, here and there around the yard, kind of bothered me. Things were turning green. The snow had to go. “Away with ye, snow!” I commanded in my princely head. “It's Spring!” I went to bed that night expecting that the unsightly patches would be gone. Melted by Spring's warm touch.
Lo and behold, the patches were gone the next morning. They, and everything around them, were covered by a couple of inches of new snow! It was a big “April Fool's” joke on me.
I wouldn't be caught off guard by a snowfall like that today. Oh no... Now, I always know when snow is forecast (or rain, sleet, wind, fog, etc. etc.), because, since the arrival of weather.gov on the internet, I check the local forecast everyday. Many times a day, if storms are around. I got the website bookmarked in my favorites.
And speaking of fish....
Did any of you ever try to catch a fish by hand? I did, when I was a tike, playing on the sandbars of Lake Simcoe, Ontario, watching schools of small fish dart about, this way and that, in response to my (supposably) stealthy approach: with my fingers spread out like a net, I couldn't possibly fail. I genuinely thought I could catch one! Today, I know better. And, I also know that, no matter how fast any one's reflexes are, once the toilet paper roll hits the water in the bowl (when you accidently drop it) you can't pull it out fast enough – it's a goner.
Happy Springtime to you all!
* (NOT!)