If February is a little like that annoying relative of yours (usually an uncle or a brother-in-law) who overstays his welcome, then March can be compared to an old friend who pays you a visit just to say hello and catch up with you.
Too, March is a time of hope and expectation as spring rolls in, plants and flowers begin to bloom and gardens are planned. (According to my garden experts, St. Paddy’s Day is for “p’s” as in “It is time to plant your potatoes.” There is also a time to “chit” your potatoes, but I’ll spare you that discussion – no chit!)
And as if all that isn’t enough to make March one of the best months of the year, towards the end of the month, baseball introduces two of the best words in all of sports “Opening Day.” March 28 marks opening day for 30 MLB teams including the Orioles and Nats. However, the Dodgers and Padres will officially open the season on 20 March playing in Seoul, Korea of all places (click here,)
Sports-wise, March has the entire month named after it as there is also the whole college basketball March Madness to look forward to. (Note that while I never knew that badass Hunter S. Thompson was a basketball fan, he is credited for a great quote that “March is a month without mercy for rabid basketball fans. There is no such thing as a ‘gentleman gambler’ when the Big Dance rolls around. All sheep will be fleeced, all fools will be punished severely… ” (click here.) Wonder what ole Hunter would have to say about all the gambling going on now.
Throw in a mid-Match St. Paddy’s Day party on the 17th and that will give you another excuse to party your way thru March Lent or no Lent. (Quick bar-business observation for you here – bars and restaurants like it when the so-called seasonal holidays such as New Years Eve, Valentines Day and St. Patricks Day fall on a weeknight and thus create mid-week traffic for them versus on a weekend when folks are out partying anyways. This year, with St. Paddy on a Sunday, will just make for Monday being more of a hungover day than usual.)
Brings me to another March-connected quote that I landed on from Garrison Keillor. It goes “March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like.” Not sure I agree with him on that as I think I’d lay that one more on January than March.
Then again who am I to question Garrison? Perhaps he was referring to March being like the hangover recovery time when you first wake up feeling a little shakey and rough, but after a time, along with some coffee and aspirin, you start to come out of it and begin to feel better. This recognizes March having that in-like-a-lion gyration going for it. The good thing however, is no matter how crappy March begins, you know that in a couple of weeks, it will get nicer.
In the Buzzy circle of family and friends, March features the following birthdays:
Buzzy birthdays in March start off on the 2nd featuring my Maui daughter Ryan. Robby Hall’s and Donna Wheatley’s daughter Sheryl McKinnon celebrates on the 4th; Tommy Salvo the 7th; Bob Mann and my nephew Michael Hofmeister the 8th; Terri Yates the 16th; my nephew-in-law Ian Allen the 25th; and Steve Pratt on the 31st.
Given the angle that I took it from, my above photo of Wailua’s Twin Falls probably doesn’t look familiar to you . However, you do know it from the following (at the 00:20) mark. As for mention of recognizable two words, whoever thought “De plane” would some day make it onto a list of famous T-V catchphrases/quotes?!