March Madness:

It is that time again. March Madness is finally here! Not just the college basketball madness, but everything else from warmer weather to the singing song birds. Spring is a wonderful season. With the change in season, spring brings new life and beauty into the scenery. Spring also brings in the patiently, awaiting activities. During winter, there are so many things to do that cannot be done until the weather is warmer and nicer. Spring also brings in a phase in the sporting world. College teams play all winter, long and hard, to reach the month of March. The March Madness tournament is when riches are won, dreams come true, and the unimaginable come to play.

I know spring is here when I wake up early in the morning and I hear nothing but the birds chirping and singing. I am just as happy that spring is here too. It is a nice change when you see the birds and not your breath outside. Spring is also a time for new colors. The trees start to bud and the plants are starting to turn from brown to green. As a matter of a few weeks, most of the trees and plants will be green again. Spring also brings back times of my youth. My favorite movie was Bambi. Remember the spring season? Spring is also the celebration of new life for a lot of animals. Baby birds will be chirping when their parents come back with bugs and treats. Baby rabbits will be chewing on the new spring grass. Young Bambi and his white dots can be seen on the edges of fields with his mother nearby. With the spring showers, new life will be growing and young animals will be running around enjoying the warmer spring days.

On the cold, winter days, I would look out the window and day dream about spring. When the snow and ice melts, I know that are many things to do. One task is yard work. It is time to get the rakes back out and finish cleaning the leaves that were missed because of the first snow storms. After the lawn is completed, then it is on to trim the trees and bushes around the perimeter. Who wants an over grown shrub or tree? Another thing I like to do right after the snow melts is to go antler shed searching. I would go into the woods and look for deer antler sheds. I get to see what deer and how big of a deer is still living on the property. I get an idea of which big bucks made it though the hunting season last fall. If I find a big shed, oh, how exciting it is. When the fall comes, I will be hunting hard again for that bruiser, trophy white-tailed deer. I also get a chance to see the new younger deer. The small and young deer are easily noticed by their white dots. It is unique seeing how they react to humans at this stage of life. During the time spend in the woods, I also prepare for the spring turkey hunt. I get an idea of where the turkey toms roost and spend their days. When April rolls around the corner, I will be back in the woods hunting again.

When March hits, college basketball gets crazy. All the games played during the winter, nothing is more intense than in March. Each team plays in their conference tournament. If the teams played well during the season or wins their conference tournament, they might be selected as one of the 64 teams for the March Madness tournament. Who will win it all and be the best college basketball team? Who knows, we will see which teams get hot and make a big run. My pick, I say Kansas University. They are a good and well balanced team. But we will see; there are many lower seeds and underrated teams that can be a real cinderella team and pull really big upsets.

Spring is not all warmth and rain, but rather a change for new life and growth. We see it with the plants and animals that live around us. Trees grow leaves and start to green again. I like spring in that it brings the colors back to life again. Instead of seeing dirty snow on the street curbs and the white landscape of winter, spring brings the colors back to life again. It is time to enjoy the nice weather until fall rolls back on in again.