This past Thursday, March 19, was the first day of Spring according to the calendar.

Yet according to the weather; it wasn’t very spring like outside. The weather was blustery and very cold.

Whenever people are counting down to the first day of Spring, I have to reminds them that it’s not necessarily so. Especially, to those who lives in the northern climate, like North Dakota.

I have seen snow up until May in North Dakota. I have seen snow on Easter Sunday.

In North Dakota, we have 2 seasons; and they are road constructions and winter. Winter isn’t 3 month according to the calendar. It can be up to 6 months!

Some people may wonder, if winter is so long, why do I stay in North Dakota?

I grew up in North Dakota and Minnesota; so I’m used to the weather. I don’t like winter. I don’t like the cold and the ice. Snow can be pretty at first but it grows old after a while. Plus, I have family around here.

I’m not saying that when I retire, I won’t move away if I could.

I remembered one time when a few of us men were heading down to Kansas City for a retreat. It was snowing here in Fargo when we left. When we got to the other side of South Dakota, it wasn’t snowing and there was NO SNOW. When we got to Kansas City, they had beautiful Spring weather with flowers blooming and leaves on the trees.

Now that was in April. We weren’t so lucky in North Dakota at that time.

Usually the first day of Spring means spring cleaning and getting out of the house or apartment; you may have been coup up in for the winter. It also means putting away your winter clothes. Some may even pull out their shorts.

It’s not that warm out!!!

I think it’s because of people have cabin fever for being coup up all winter. Just think what could happens once this Coronavirus finally is over. People will just storms out in groves!

When the groundhog announce so many weeks before Spring look at where you live and don’t buy into that. Stop counting down, so many days until Spring!

It’s not Spring until all the snow is gone and leaves are starting to come on the trees. When you start seeing green grass and flowers, you know then it’s finally Spring.

The first day of Spring was on March 21; which was my mother’s birthday. She would always remind us of that.

Now it seems the first day of Spring is March 19 or March 20. Are those who write the calendar trying to hurry up Spring? Don’t they know that they have no control over the weather?

Only God has control of the weather!

Don’t put away your winter clothes, just because it’s the first day of Spring! I know that you may have spring fever.

I don’t put away my winter coat, gloves, hats and boots until I see no more snow. I don’t start wearing my spring jacket until then.

This is how people gets sick this time of year. They try to rush spring weather. You can’t rush spring and you can’t rush God.

It may be spring in other parts of the country. But it’s still winter in good old North Dakota.