SPRING INTO SPRING

Spring has arrived. Of course some parts of the country are still experiencing winter weather. Here in the Sunshine State one can see the signs of spring.
First thing I noticed are the spring breakers. They come flocking to the sandy beaches of Florida to enjoy, sun, sand, surf and suds. Many are getting a jump start on their summer tans; many are just letting loose, going wild for a few weeks until reality once more sets in when they return home.
Spring training is alive and well. The teams are getting prepared for the big opening day of baseball. Fans wonder who will make the major and who will be sent down to the minors. The words, foul ball, strike, home run, you’re out and safe once more heard throughout the land.
The snowbirds are beginning to pack up and migrate home until autumn.
Less traffic has been seen on the roads. In the past few days I noticed
Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio licensed plate cars packed full and heading north. In my community the snowbirds will be leaving for home once the sports/game banquet is held at the end of March. Again I will need to consult my calendar to tell what day of the week it is.
Once my community is quiet again, the osprey, sand cranes and other feathered creatures will reclaim their territory (the once croquet court). I will look forward to hearing the trumpeting sounds as the sand cranes saunter between my house and the one next door.
As a Floridian now, I do appreciate the snowbird season. They help fuel the local economy.
With spring being here, I have put away what I term my winter wear until possibly December. Time to shop now for new summer clothes (tees, shorts and sandals).
Soon the purring of the air conditioner and the whirling of the ceiling fans will be heard throughout many a home. Afternoon rain showers will be predicted each day. The lawn maintenance people will be out more often in my community.
I always enjoy spring, I will find hyacinths, tulips and daffodils for sale at the store and make a purchase of one or two for the house. The scent of a hyacinth can be wonderful (if you dont have any allergies).
Ah spring has arrived along with allergy season. Until till next time, A-A-A-Achoo. Looks like I need to stock up on Kleenex today when I go to the store.

The Madness of March

March arrived like a lion; it is roaring now and then with a few cooler days here in the ‘Sunshine State’.  Up North, they are having a few days in the 40’s and 50’s in some areas.  But no doubt by month’s end, March will leave like a lamb, meek and quiet (or so we all hope). 

Most of us don’t actually think about March as being an exciting month.  Yet the month has quite a bit to offer.  Of course some of the offerings do depend on the part of the country where you reside (as I live in Florida we have a few offerings not many other places seem to have).  Some of us tend to see March as the third month of the year or the last month of the first quarter of the year.  A few years ago, I found out that March can be exciting if you just look at the big picture of things.  There are years that Palm Sunday and Easter fall within the month of March, but for this year they do not.

Spring break time arrives during March.  Sunny warm climates and sandy beaches entice those living in the frigid north states.  The young and old, come to Florida and other warm destinations for a week or two of rest from the harsh elements of winter.  We bid farewell to winter and a big welcome to spring in March.  We lie to rest woolen coats and sweaters in moth balled storage areas till the fall; and begin to wear light weight jackets when venturing outside.  We replaced the drab blacks, browns and dark colors and don brighter shades of clothing.  The clocks are turned ahead giving us more daylight.  Children return to outdoor activities, bike riding, rollerblading and playing ball.  Spring is celebrated by one and all.  Farmers begin to plow their fields and plant their crops.  Buds begin to appear on trees and birds take flight back north.  Snowbirds who spent the winter in Florida and other warmer climates begin to migrate home till the first leaf begins to fall from the trees.  March is here and so is the spring.

The boys of summer return to the diamond for spring training during March.  Both the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues ‘play ball’ looking for the best to play in the majors when opening day arrives. 

St. Patrick’s Day is a big holiday in March.  Everyone is Irish for a day.  Parades, parties, celebrations as most everyone wears something green.  Green beer flows from taps in pubs as chasers for shots of Irish whiskey. Corn beef or ham, cabbage, boiled potatoes and carrots the traditional food for the day.

In Sebring, Florida, March is the month of ‘The 24 hours of Sebring’ a formula one type car race.  Fans flock to the track for fun, food, drink and watching the race. 

College hoops brings on ‘March Madness’ with the playoff games.  Sixty-eight teams begin play until it comes down to the”final four’.  These four teams will determine which two will play on for the championship.  Faithful fans all cheer for their favorite team with hopes they continue through to the final buzzer.

Let us not forget that Women’s History Month is also celebrated in March.

Thirty-one days filled with fun and history for all.

I like to celebrate the month of March, because it is means the end of winter; days are longer, weather getting warmer and of course being Irish, St. Patrick’s Day. 

Well until next time, enjoy the madness only March can provide.  As for me, I am still celebrating St. Patty’s Day while switching between channels as I watch some college hoops and a spring training game ….cheers.  

EASY DISTRACTIONS

Recently I saw the following while scrolling though my news feed on Facebook:  A tee shirt with the following words: 

“Being a good writer is 5% talent and 95% not being distracted by the internet”

I thought about the saying for a while. 

I pondered the thought the following day as I sat working on my current project; preparing a book of poetry to have published.

As I sat working through the process of coping, cutting and pasting my poems to for the proper format paper size, I became distracted.  I heard ‘clicking’ type sounds, which meant new emails were going into my in-box.  I stopped what I had been doing to read them.  A few emails were from sites I subscribe and a few were personal emails which I decided I should reply to immediately.  Finally after thirty minutes I got back to the formatting process for my book.  Ten minutes later, I heard ‘click’ again and another email went into my in-box.  This time It was about books available that day for me to download to my Kindle; naturally I was curious.  I opened the email and began to click on each listed title to see if it was something I wanted to read; of course f found two of interest to me.  Another fifteen minutes spent away from working on my project. 

Upon returning back to the task at hand, I heard noises outside. I looked out the window and saw that two sand cranes landed across the street near the bocce ball area.  I watched as they maneuvered around the court before making their way to the street to walk across to my drive way.  Their trumpeting sounds so loud as if they were calling out to me.  I got out of my chair and walked to the window to look out to get a better view of the creatures.  They stopped at the end of my driveway then lumbered on their spindled legs towards my neighbor’s house and up the street.  My eyes focused on them until they were out of my sight.  Again I returned to my desk and the job on which I was working.  Once more I began the process of copy, cut and paste each poem individually to the proper format.  What should have taken an hour or so to complete took over two and a half hours.  Finally I had my file complete to be uploaded for publication.  I decided I’d let the document file sit for a day to reviewed it again before submitting. 

I then began to work on a vignette for “Murphy Madness II” a series of life stories, another writing project.  This time, I decided to log off the internet so I could work without being distracted.  Unfortunately it did not happen.  Outside noises again caught my attention causing me to look out the window.  I watched as a group of adults deiced to play croquet across the street from me (the croquet area is next to where the bocce ball court is located).  The players sounded like a bunch of little children as they yelled at one another and laughed.  Since I found them so intriguing, I decided that my vignette would have to wait.

I have come to the conclusion, the ideal time to work on my projects is in the early evening when nothing outside would be a distraction.  Also I would not be logging back on to the internet at that time of day.  I have specific times I go on-line; they are in the early morning, mid-afternoon (around three) and evenings after ten.  My plan is to write between five and eight in the evening; nothing on television of any interest at that time and the world outside my house is generally quiet. 

Until next time, if you are a writer, don’t let the internet distract you.  Well I have to stop typing now, just heard two ‘clicks’….I’ve got mail.