Spring Celebration

Spring Celebration

“Good Lord!” I groaned, my eyes filling with tears of frustration at the horror outside our dining-room window. “It’s May third, for crying out loud!”

“What’s the matter, dear?” My wife, Joan, tittered from the darkened bedroom.

“It’s May third!” I growled, a small catch in my throat threatening to turn the growl into a croak. “Can you believe it? It’s snowing, snowing hard! Damn it!”

“Ahhhhh, typical spring day in Calgary then, eh?” The laugh, sounding slightly mean to my warm-blooded, Yankee ear.

“Typical? TYPICAL?” The croak, definitely coming through now. “Damn it, what kind of frigid backwards country is this? No wonder the United States leaves it alone! Who would actually want to claim this frozen wasteland?”

“Ahhhh, but you came up here for love, my sweet baby!” Joan laughed. I know she wasn’t deliberately trying to be mean, but I had endured my fifth long winter in Canada and was not in any mood to be “sweet babied!”

“I’m surprised all you Canucks haven’t grown your own fur coats!” I groused, jerking the blinds closed to hide the winter hell marring my spring hopes. “I guess evolution hasn’t caught up to you yet!”

“Honey, you need to learn to take it like a true Canadian.” Joan snickered. “Just open a couple of Molson’s and come back to bed. We can still enjoy a wonderful spring day, Canadian style, eh?”

My face brightening in anticipated pleasure, I turned to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of cold beers. “Maybe you Canucks ARE on to something.” With a bounce in my step, I hurried into the bedroom. “Spring IS a wonderful time in Calgary!” I joined my loving wife in joyful laughter.