Re-newals II

My last entry here assumed Spring was finally happening. Not. Mere days later about 2 weeks of snowing, blowing, cold raining &/or just downright chilly weather ensued. Nasty. Not to mention depressing. Sigh. Both Buffy & I were suffused with warm-weather longing. Despite, or perhaps because of, knowing the unseasonable chill wasn't peculiar to the Great Lakes region, being a near-country-wide phenomenon.

But things have been looking up the last 2 weeks. In many ways. Temps have gotten up into the 50s & even 60s. Some late-April rain has allowed new growth & prompted frost-damaged flora to begin salvage & recovery operations. There was enough grass for Everett to do a first mowing last week. And Lo & I bought our first flower baskets from our favorite just-reopened nursery.

And then there's the reassuring rite of Spring, the stop-over of the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks passing through on their annual migration north. As well as the "golding" (or "lemon yellowing") of the resident goldfinches.

In other news (& for another rite of Spring), I'll be going to Chicago on Thursday. Where Mac is taking me to my first Chicago Cubs' baseball game! Which will be the second Major League Baseball game of my life — the first was a nighttime Mets game at Shea Stadium waaay back in the early 70s. Believe it or not (for those of you who know I've been mostly a sports' agnostic), since I've been out here Mac has turned me into not only a baseball fan but a Chicago Cubs' fan. A special breed indeed. I've even been known to watch Cubs' games on tv all by my lonesome now.

And as if the experience wouldn't be enough of an event all by itself, he's gotten us spectacular tickets: in the second row, near the on-deck circle! Furthermore, Mac says there's a strong possibility (barring unforeseen circumstances) that the pitcher will be Carlos Zambrano, the team's best. Unbelievable!! It is going to be an incredible experience. And a very, very long day. We're driving down (& over) for an afternoon game & then probably staying for dinner out with Mac's brother & sister-in-law who live there. Now all I ask the weather gods to do is not have it rain that day. Okay?