On The Sly

Yes, indeed, it is springtime in the North Country. If you need proof, just look out the window. Rain! Rain! Yes, the grass is green and, yes, it was a mild winter. But springtime in the North Country, which can range from early March until mid-June, will never change. It will rain! That's a given. Umbrellas are a must in the North Country. Or hats. I remember walking to Monty Street School in my black galoshes and yellow raincoat. Day after day. I learned early what spring is like in the North Country.

Just at the point when you decide that tomorrow will be "mow-the-lawn-day," you can bet it will rain. If you are coaching a spring sport or trying to have Little League baseball practice, you know that you will end the day with a soaked sweatshirt and smell musty from sweat and raindrops.

One of the reasons I quit ("retired from" would be a milder phrase) coaching junior varsity baseball at Plattsburgh High School was because I couldn't stand baseball practice inside a gymnasium anymore. You can set up drill stations, hit a tennis ball or wiffle ball, talk about baseball strategy, practice bunting, but nothing matches being outside in the sunshine playing baseball.

It will probably be late June before we hit our North Country summer weather, when you can take a romantic walk along the Saranac River (what? that's not romantic?) or watch your ice cream cone melt before you can eat it or sit in the backyard and sunbathe (okay, now the word's out about the sights on Saratoga Court!) or take a drive around Cumberland Head with the windows down at eleven o'clock at night.

For now, I'm keeping out of the raindrops, selling lots on eBay and watching "Mike & the Mad Dog" every afternoon. Raindrops won't be falling on my head!