Mark’s Musings – February 20, 2019
Mark Fortune
You know spring is around the corner when you see bluebirds and yes we have. Just a couple. Spring sports are headed our way with baseball, track and field and softball on the local high school scene while area youth are getting excited about Little League, soccer at Lake Park and – gosh – dare we mention the words – swimming? Okay, that’s a stretch for sure but every week we draw closer to that date on the March calendar when we can breathe a little sigh of relief and wonder when the season will turn for certain.
Previous years have left us wondering what happened to spring as we seem to jump directly from winter to summer and somehow bypass the 60 and 70 degree days of spring. Days when a windbreaker or a light jacket (are they the same thing?) are enough for being outside. Of course, there will be days at softball or baseball when you might need a hat and gloves. And March and early April in Ohio means different things to different people.
For the farmers it’s about getting into the fields – and the extreme wet weather we had last fall and this winter will certainly require some sunny days and light breezes to help dry the fields. I like to eat as most people that know me recognize and corn – despite the commercial by a certain brewery during the Super Bowl – and now continuing in a shorter version – is one of my favorite dishes. Whether it is on the cob, in a bowl, on a plate, homemade corn bread with lots of apple butter, as a cereal, (does Corn Pops count?) and my personal favorite – baked corn, it’s all good. Oh yum! Now I’m hungry. Thankfully it is about lunchtime.
Do you find that February is a long month despite the fact that it is the shortest month? We all know this of course. Discussed this with the spouse over the weekend – it seems like it should be over already but we have a week to go. Now, I’m not advocating that we speed up time or anything like that. The familiar phrase that, “The older you get the faster it goes” seems appropriate for how time passes at my age.
Please plan to attend the Bridal Expo sponsored by the Coshocton Visitor’s Bureau and the Coshocton County Chamber of Commerce this Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Lake Park Pavilion from 12 noon to 3 p.m. You can find a list of the vendors inside this issue of The Beacon.
Denny Hamlin won the 61st annual Daytona 500 in the number 11 FedEx Toyota for those that didn’t know this already. Buckeyes men’s hoops had a two point lead on the Spartans with a bit over half of the game to go but sputtered down the stretch with Spartie putting on a show in a 20-2 run. The Buckeyes may be fortunate to get into the NCAA tournament if this continues. The Buckeyes are predicted to win 19 games – and that is one victory shy of the 20 that is almost a given for the tourney.
On the baseball scene all 30 major league ball clubs will kick off the season on March 28 – the earliest opening day in major league history not counting international venues – which this year have the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners playing in Japan on March 20-21.
Category: Mark's Musings, Opinion
