The Blame Game . . . It's March

One pretty scene on this otherwise wet, gloomy day:  colorful crocuses are popping up. 

It's March.  It's wet outside.

Even the dogs didn't complain about having to stay in the house while I did chores.  An hour later they're still not pacing and begging to go outside.

Bill has to go outside today.  This is a day of work for him.  He has to meet some co-workers in Bonners Ferry in a while.  I'm sure he'll take his rain gear. 

Tom Sherry, our illustrious KREM weather forecaster, said on last night's report that this rain may stop sometime this morning.  That would be nice. 

Tom punctuates all of his weather forecasts these days with "It's March."  

It's a good thing when you can blame undesirable weather on the third month of the year, every single day for 31 days.  

Oh, we have had some nice days so far in March, and I do believe that on the days preceding the nice weather, Tom has not had to say, "It's March."  

Too bad some of the blame couldn't be spread around to May or October or July.  

Those months always seem to get a lot more slack in the weather blame game. 

Last night, however, I did think about July while Tom was busy blaming March for the downpour we were going to receive over night. 

While thinking about July, I told Bill that this year I was gonna purchase a couple of portable air conditioners for this year's July and maybe even a smaller version of a Big Blue blow-up swimming pool.

The memory of all that heat we endured last June, July and August still lingers.  

I can remember myself and so many of my friends often announcing, "I don't do heat." 

So, on these rainy days of March, it is important that we make plans for when July gets so dang dry and so darned hot and Tom Sherry is so busy preparing the weather forecast barbecue that he forgets to blame July.

I'm figuring that purchasing portable air conditioners could go along with the same scenario that often happens in October when the first skiff of snow falls and everyone races to the implement store and buys a snowblower.  

Often what happens that during that particular snowblower-purchasing winter, the snow decides to hang back and the snowblowers stay in the shop, still squeaky clean and brand new. 

Then, the next year comes and nobody needs to buy a snowblower, and it snows like heck for that year and maybe a few more, and the wear and tear on those blowers leads to the need for a new machine and the cycle starts all over again. 

So, if I purchase those two portable air conditioners for this summer, maybe it won't get hot and maybe my air conditioners can stay all squeaky clean and brand new for at least one year. 

I won't mind because if the purchase causes the temperatures to stay moderate, it would be worth every cent.  Plus, we'll save on the power bill. 

As far as purchasing a smaller model of a Big Blue swimming pool for the lazy, hazy and hot days of summer, I've never, in my personal history, seen one single Big Blue stay all squeaky clean and new, regardless of the weather.  

Those uncooperative monsters always find a way to spring a leak or to have the water turn into green muck which stains the sides of the pool and keeps even the dogs from wanting to take a dip.  

And, then when you try to clean the pools up and put them away for the winter, they're never the same the next year.  So, you have to buy yet another Big Blue. 

Still, I'm thinking I may take the plunge because even if I enjoy one refreshing dip in this year's version of the moderately-sized Big Blue, it will be worth all the misery that goes along with the set-up, maintenance and takedown. 

All that said, it's a rainy day and it's all March's fault.  

There is one facet of March, however, that fails to get the credit due.  

When all that rain is pouring outside, making things really mucky and ugly outside, it's March inside too, and the Madness of NCAA basketball begins and it extends long before the actual NCAA dance, which means that this week college basketball teams are playing all day long and so we can just thumb our nose at the rain and thank March for the basketball madness coming out of our television set. 

Has anyone ever purchased a brand new television set only to have March Madness not show up on the screen, leaving that TV all squeaky clean and brand new until the next year?????

I think not.  Let it rain.  Let the games begin, and it's all March's fault.