Radiofree West Hartford -- The Crow's Nest by Tom Evers

THE CROW'S NEST

Where the heck is Spring?

Cheer up; good things are around the corner.

By Tom Evers

March 02, 2005

Getting a little tired of the snow?

Well, I am.

But you'd think by now, that as a native New Englander that I'd be used to the way things work in a typical Connecticut winter cycle. For those unfamiliar with our usual seasonal situation, it goes something like this:

We like November and December but only because of the Christmas season and all it brings: you know -- food, parties, presents, more food, and lots of drinks and laughter with family and friends. Cold days and freezing nights supplemented by a high heating bill are overshadowed by the glow of the season. In my case, that glow comes from some creative concoctions that usual contain rum and fruit juice.

Then comes January. The very name makes one shiver, because you know that the next two months are going to be frigid and annoying. The rare exception is those people who ski, but since they don't ski for a living, they are bound by all of the same painful rituals that we all are: long commutes, icy roads, the flu and cold season, layers of clothes, home imprisonment, and long, dark evenings. The only people who are happy are those who own Blockbuster franchisees.

January, it is said, was named for Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways. For our purposes - doors, windows and gateways tend to be tightly closed and sealed or else your heating bill rises $220 a month. And February was named for the Februus, the Roman god of purification. Somehow understanding the fact that the several inches of snow that will fall throughout the month will lead to air purification, doesn't make up for the hours of backbreaking shoveling that we are all subjected too. February is our deep freeze month. Volumes of books are written about the "winter blues" resulting from February's curse.

Even the political season is nothing short of boring after the November elections. Historically everything is geared toward elections, which occur near the end of the year; and as January sets in, there is nothing exciting about budget and policy speeches. It's all humdrum. Promises and baloney; justifications for tax increases and more spending. Hmmm. And then there's black history month. Who decided on February for this celebration? At least Hallmark or whoever could have picked a month where people go outside and celebrate a little?

Did you ever notice that despite all indications that winter isn't going anywhere that New Englanders tend to try and beat the system? If we get a few days of abnormal upper 50-degree weather, you'll see people running around sporting paper thin jackets or worse - running around in t-shirts. Most end up with colds and a feeling that they've been duped into believing that winter has come to an end. Most of this is simply denial of cycle that they've come to understand all too well.

This year, we are told that Spring will begin on March 20th, as it routinely does around this time according to most yearly calendars. Some calendars sold in our local stores have the audacity to place the words "Spring Begins" on the day in question. But we New Englanders aren't fooled - "Nutmeggers" know darn well that March is a darn winter month. Some of our worst winter snowstorms occur in March (with one currently forecasted at the time of this writing). Spring is supposed to mean spouting flowers, golf weather, warmer temperatures and the end of winter captivity. But alas in New England, we need to wait until April and May to really get to Spring; by then we are cranky and tired and ready for the changeover.

(Note: "Nutmeggers" is the nickname for residents of Connecticut; the state is known as the "Nutmeg state")

This doesn't mean that March is a total loss. Of all the winter months, at least we have some things to look forward to. And after what has been a fairly depressing lecture, this is what I really want to get to. There are a few distracting bits and pieces that we of this cold region really cling to.

The first is March Madness. Years before the Connecticut Huskies were recognized as a force on the national NCAA college basketball scene, Nutmeggers flocked to their televisions and filled out tourney brackets by the dozens in order to find some solitude and escape from the long winter months. Some argue that Connecticut's need for relief from the winter months, required that UConn's basketball program step up to become what it has today. People like myself, who absolutely hate the NBA (the sport of overpaid, rich, spoiled, lazy, quasi-athletes) - love college basketball. Not to take away from the excitement of the game - but dammit, we need to love collage basketball! Bracketology is the science of Spring!

The second thing is to look forward to is the beginning of baseball's grapefruit league, otherwise known as spring training. Maybe it's the shots of our favorite players sporting short sleeve shirts and wearing sunglasses that warms the room, or maybe its just knowing that if the "boys of summer" are practicing their trade, that perhaps we are closer to warmer days then we realize.

You'll notice I didn't mention hockey, my second least favorite sport. For the record - hockey is: 1) for Canadians and Russians, and those who dislike summer, 2) a reminder of frigid weather and the long winter season, 3) played in a large refrigerated arena - not that we don't get enough of that on the outside, 4) about fighting and brutality, not athletic competition. Did you notice that the NHL season came and went, or stopped, and guess what - no one cared! Like boxing, hockey has not merit.

Switching gears, the third positive about March (at least this year) is the Lenten through Easter holiday season. For Christians, Easter is the most important date on the calendar - it embodies what Christianity is all about, which is Jesus' resurrection. Spiritually, the month of March requires us to re-evaluate ourselves and cleanse our hearts and minds. And besides, February is just to cold, dark, and wintry to take on such a difficult task. And of course, Easter also means the Easter bunny, family gatherings and all of the rest that Easter brings. Just a word to the wise, the Easter bunny may bring candy, but Jesus brings salvation - an interesting thing to ponder as we embark on this wonderful season.

If anything could be said about winter, anything at all, it would have to be that we New Englanders gain a better appreciation for Spring and Summer. For those of us who love to golf, garden, and sail it's even more difficult on our nerves. Frozen ports and snow filled greens lead to temporary depression and a longing for the months to come.

In the meantime, we have to remind ourselves that its not all bad; we can sit back and enjoy the benefits of March's traditions, get our own acts together spiritually and mentally, watch the tourney, check up on the Red Sox, and know that soon enough we'll be hitting the links, and knowing that summer is just around the corner. If you're a New Englander and points north, you've got my sympathy. And for those of you who live in Florida - my envy.

Keep smiling; we're almost there! From this side of the world,

I'm Tom Evers.