Old Man Winter headed for the exit

Is it too early to sound the all-clear on winter 2010?

Probably. March is a volatile month, even here in the mid-South. And there’s a decent chance that Old Man Winter will rear his ugly head at least one more time before he fades into an unpleasant memory.

All the same, it’s a safe bet that the worst of winter is behind us. While the first official day of spring is still 17 days away, meteorological spring began Monday.

And there are other signs of spring. The Blytheville Baseball/Softball Boosters have been signing up kids for this year’s league for the last couple of weeks. And over at the Walmart Supercenter, I spotted stacks of landscaping bricks, soil and fertilizer making an appearance in the parking lot outside the lawn and garden side of the store.

Needless to say, spring is almost here. It’s a welcome time of the year.

I’m not a fan of February. It’s a weird month. It’s got an irregular number of days, and it’s hard to spell (why is there an “r” in the middle of it?). It’s a month without a redeeming value, and any politician who will promise to propose legislation to simply outlaw the month has got my vote.

The worst of winter always seems to come along in February. More cold days. More winter precipitation. More days of school canceled. Face it: February is a mess. I’m happy to see it go.

That said, I’ve tried to be patient this year. Usually by this time, I’ve written two or three “longing for summer” columns. But events in the past year have taught me that it’s best not to rush these things. Time will inevitably pass, and there’s not much sense in hurrying it along. After all, while there are some bad things we’d like to get rid of sooner, there’s also some good things we’d like to hold onto longer.

So that’s how I’ve found contentment this past winter season. I’m not claiming to be a fan of cold winds and slick roads, mind you — I’m just saying I had a pretty strong inkling such things would eventually fade away. And it looks like I might have been right.

I think this time of year — the cusp of spring — is a good time to take stock in what we want to accomplish in the warm months. On my list this year are a number of things. I already have a big family vacation planned — a trip that will include my extended family. I plan to keep running, with a new challenge on my agenda for June. I also to intend to savor every minute I can watching my kids play baseball and softball, no matter how or hot and humid — or windy — it might be.

I think it’s good to make lists like the one above because it’s too easy to let spring (and the summer that follows) slip by without doing all the things you meant to do. When you’re standing on March 3, the months of nice weather look like a vast, endless slate. But just like the winter that may soon be behind us, the coming season won’t last forever. As for me, I want to cherish as much of it as I can.

The latest forecast I’ve seen calls for temperatures close to 60 by this weekend. That’s what I call “spring weather,” and I’m looking forward to getting outside to enjoy some of it. But I’m also realistic. I’ve lived in the central United States long enough to know that the road from winter to spring is a rocky one.

But I’m just happy to be on the road and moving along the way. We’ll get there eventually. Let’s enjoy the ride.