Sandals in March

I FIND IT hard to believe it's been nearly 20 years since I moved from Michigan. I keep up with friends from Alpena on Facebook, and I see they just had about a foot of snow.

I loved living in Alpena, but the one part I didn't like was the spring, or lack of spring. March and April would be frigid and snow-filled while we waited for spring sports to start up. Then it was June and summer was upon us - there was no such thing as spring in Alpena.

About time for a cold lemonade, eh Max?

At right is a picture of my old buddy Max Lindsay from yesterday. We lived right across the street. Gosh, the snow piles would be taller than me and Emily, who was 3 or 4, and we had a blast playing on them. Surviving winters up there was a state of mind, really.

Vicky Lindsay, Max's wife, has the right idea. She was just on a tropical vacation. And they leave for Florida in two weeks to avoid the miserable Northeast Michigan spring.

In Quincy, we have spring. It was 50 Monday, 30 yesterday, and it's warming up again today. By this time next week it will be pushing 70 and I'll be sitting on the sidewalk and dreaming of Blues In The District. Sheryl is wearing her sandals today and looked quite sexy walking into the bank in a winter coat and bare toes.

Ahhhh, spring. Bring it on! My old bones could use warmer weather. And I'm not shoveling any snow anymore, thank you.