It's clear that March can't be trusted

Posted

As I write this, it is a rainy, dreary morning.

Welcome to March.

March is the month we look forward to – it will be warmer than February! – but like that prom date we couldn’t wait for, it usually lets us down.

Honestly, March can’t decide what it wants to be. And we are the people caught in battle over its identity. Is March just an extension of winter? Is March an early look at spring? Is March a mixture of the worst of both?

I would say yes, yes and yes.

Like every other sucker in this region, I always look forward to March. March is like adulthood was when you were a kid. You couldn’t wait to stay up late, have your own place and make your own decisions. But then you were an adult and realized you just wanted to go to bed, not make a house payment and have someone else make some decisions now and again.

A recent Sunday was a perfect example of a March day. It was almost 65 degrees. 65! My wife and I jumped on our motorcycles to go see some friends play some music. But, March being March, the high winds made the riding not only a little chilly, but too much work. Riding through high winds is not a lot of fun.

Thanks for that, March.

Sure, March is home to Spring Break, but what do people do on Spring Break if they can? They leave town. You don’t “enjoy” Spring Break in Rockford, or Forreston or Rochelle unless you have to.

Instead, you are in Florida, or visiting your uncle in Arkansas. If you can, you are anywhere south of here that you can get. Even Bloomington would be better, right?

March also brings back your buddy rain. You remember rain, right? Remember last May when it kept farmers from planting their fields because it just wouldn’t give us a break? How about June, when the Rock River seems to be at or near flood stage all the time?

Yes, that rain comes back in March. At first, it’s great. It melts the snow! Yes! But the first thing you realize when the snow melts is that your backyard is now a minefield of freshly exposed dog poop.

That cleanup is one big job.

Then you realize more rain is to follow. A lot more rain.

When you look at months, March is clearly a month that is not at the top of anyone’s list. October has the awesome Halloween. December has Christmas and is the big guy on the block. Even July has the Fourth. January and February aren’t favorites, but at least you know what to expect.

March? March is sneaky. March is not to be trusted. March is always out there waiting to trip you up. March is a liar.

But soon, we will be able to leave March behind and move into April. And let’s be honest, April can be a bit dodgy too. But we do know the weather will be more consistently warmer. Plus, my birthday is in April, so it can’t be all bad.

For now, we will continue to wrestle with March. We will come close to pinning it, but it will always end up getting us on our backs. You just can’t trust March.