It seems that winter may have finally been put to bed this year.

Cherry blossoms bloom, chirping birds wake you up. Temperatures creep up and nudge you towards putting your heavy coats in storage. Daylight hours begin to outnumber darkness hours and people wake up and take notice of their surroundings.

Yup. Spring is here.

It’s about time, too. Winter had the northwest in its icy grip for what seemed like a whole damn year. But we’re free now; the roads are safe to drive, and sanity (and food) has returned to the supermarkets.

That’s actually not a joke. One weekend late last month had the rumor of snow, and my local food mart was stripped bare, as if the forecast called for zombies. And it wasn’t just canned goods that flew off the shelves. “Oh, no, it's gonna snow! Quick, get all the hummus you can!”

Most of the country probably has winter fatigue right now. The snowstorms were the kind that make certain people lick their chops at the prospect of denying climate change. But happiness is still in the air, as we watch baseball players train in Florida and Arizona as they fight for a roster spot or try to start their first baby steps toward a potential championship. If you listen closely, you can hear the pop of a ball hitting a leather mitt, or the undeniable crack of a bat launching a ball to parts unknown. That can mean only one thing.

Baseball. Is. Back.

And that means I get to spread my thoughts about my hometown team. I get to talk about the ups and downs of my softball team in Canada (let’s go ‘Hammers!), and as we sprint towards summer, I might even get to go home and watch a game at the sacred grounds of Yankee Stadium.

The season started yesterday, and my all-time favorite pastime returns in full force. I’m excited for this season, as the Yankees are the odds-on favorite to win the whole damn thing.

Let the good times roll.

#2019 #NewYorkYankees #baseball #Spring #softball