Signs of Spring!

I know, there's still snow outside. It was below zero last night. But the signs of a spring that's sure to come are here... if only on TV. Of course, this weekend, we have the Daytona 500 and all of the excitement of another NASCAR season. The Bassmasters Classic is only a week away. NHRA starts again this weekend, too! So, these are all signs that spring will be here soon.

Then again, the winter Olympics are just starting, too... so I guess we're in transition. I'm excited to watch the Olympics, of course, but after a long winter, it's good to see signs of spring. I think we all have our sights, smells, and sounds that tell us that warmer weather is on its way.

Sometimes it's funny that way. I remember a restaurant where I cooked for years. We always listened to all of the Brewer's games on the radio. We knew it was summer when we heard Bob Ueker. It didn't matter what the weather was outside - we didn't have a window to even look out of for hours at a time. We might have been just standing in front of hot grills and fryers, but when we heard Bob, we knew it was summer time and the stainless steel wall in front of us turned into a large field full of grass and sun.

It's those things, the things that bring us to warmer, happier times, that many of us in the cold north live for. I am one of those people who think snow-covered pines are absolutley gorgeous... until I have to take the dogs out, or get the driveway plowed, or shovel the car off to go to work in the morning. Once the Christmas tree comes down, I'm ready for spring!

So, bring on the Easter Bunny, the race cars and the bass fishermen! I'm ready.