Gone is...

Our winter of discontent…

what a treat it is to see actual green in the lawn instead of white, there are no piles of graying yucky snow, and here and there the odd daffodil and crocus remind us of the passing of the seasons. What a winter it was. But now that the sun is out, you don’t need layers and layers to keep warm, and you somehow have this primal urge to run around naked. Well, maybe not.

And with the passing of the dark cold days, we put the heavy pots and stews and roasts away, and begin to think of lighter fare. Soon fresh greens will be available for salads instead of out of a “Dole” bag, fresh local fish will replace the dearth of local oysters, what crabs there are will begin to appear, and we’ll roll into summer. I know that there are advantages to living in say, California or Florida, but I’m not sure I wish to trade in a changing of seasons for the continual 75 degree existence. Not yet. A change in seasons gives you a chance to refresh your mind.

And, along with the recedence of March, so comes the annual “madness” that grips the nation for a couple of weeks, sending people to fill out brackets, waiting for Cinderella’s to emerge, watching the David’s topple the Goliaths, and questionable officiating. Once again the passion of Americans to establish “the winner” is evident. All but one of the 64 teams in the tournament will end the season with a loss. Having never played the sport, I can only hope seniors that have spent four years of training, playing, and listening to rants from coaches will remember what they did rather than be branded by that loss.

It’s hard to watch some team that was under .500 for the season and barely made their conference playoff get hot with a little point guard guy all of a sudden can throw it up from the men’s room in the arena and it will go in for a three (and PLEASE networks, lose the term “three ball”) . Yes, Georgetown is/was a good team, but you can’t beat a couple of guards who shoot the lights out on that day. But, maybe that’s what the fascination is with March Madness. A stage for players you never heard of to have that fleeting moment of fame. Who knows? Swish……

Whew, how did I get off on that? Anyway, today FOJTE and wife arrive and we’ll still go with plan A for the Eastern Shore trip. I think we have a pretty good itinerary planned, yes, food and wine driven, but hey that’s what it’s all about..

So enjoy the coming of spring, refresh your minds, get brushed up on good years for Chards, Viogniers, Pinot Blancs and Gris (which have come of age), Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings’, and never, never forget Champagne. Rose’s are pleasant (and never, never, drink that white zin, use that to clean your windshield). Thoughts for the Easter Menu should be running around in the back of your mind (no pineapple rings and maraschino cherries please).

Okay, back to cleaning and prep for guests! And you can rest assured we will be

DFD