Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Spring? Can I now whisper "I think winter is behind us" without the wrath of nature screwing it all up?

Bedding plants are out at the Garden Centers... No dandelions in Murphy's perfectly (already green)landscaped yard (that is, until some ole drunk, roughly 53 or so, drives by some night and throws a few in there for a good laugh).. REAL baseball starts Monday... Daylight Savings starts tomorrow, er, well, 2am Sunday..

Early stages of float trip planning for our workforce... Are we there yet? Life, it be good.

Ohhhh float trips... What fun... That other lady.. what was her name? The last one.. She abhorred the idea of a float trip... well.. after several years of begging - she FINALLY gave in.. Shoulda started on a wimpy river - and I don't know how difficult the Current River is - I guess the name shoulda told me something.. Anyways, was a week after it had flooded.. Holy shit.. Ne'er was it still. Rapids, allover. It was early spring - so, it was damn cold too...

In fact, we damn near drowned - literally. Our canoe was swept off course toward a low hanging tree - rather than bash into the rocks ahead - she grabbed onto the overhanging tree limb whilst hero man pounded the rocks with his aluminum torpedo.. Finally getting it steadied - I swam upstream to get/help her.. It was soooo damn cold, honest, she was very close to slinking off the limb and into the water to perish at the ripe age of 30-something. Do ya think we took another float trip?

My buddy Sanford. We're best friends, but the sonofabitch hasn't called me once since we left high school. That's just him - whenever we do something/talk, it's Victor motivated. It's always like it was yesterday though - and things have never changed. I love him as a person and cherish the times we've had.. We went on the river once... a group of guys.. the combination of sun and what beer we had left from overturning twelve times started to get to us.. The thirteenth time we capsized, we got the boat back up.. jumped in.. lo and behold we'd 'caught' two damn snakes.. It was a good thing the alcohol dulled our senses - cause I think I woulda dirtied my drawers... We laughed it off - turned it back over and shooed them downstream..

Somewhere between the 14th and 15th spill, we'd pulled over the side of the river so Mr. Sanford could do #2. We'd had this running "fun fued" with a couple of unknown guys in an inflatable raft the last 5 or 6 miles.. We'd pulled in right around a turn.. lo and behold, here come the raft guys around the corner mid-Sanford poop.. I don't blame them for laughing their asses off at him - but he took it kinda personal and hollered "you sonsabitches, if you don't get the hell outta here I'm gonna start throwing darts at your raft".. That moment will be forever etched until I pee my pants uncontrollably and forget my name.

First time ever on a float trip - aha.. I was wise.. Gotta bigass jar to put my four packs of cigs in.. First sign of rapids was the last time I had a cig the whole weekend. Bye bye they went - duh me.

I guess maybe I wouldn't have this spring exhilaration thingy if I was living on the Gulf Coast. Ok, so I'm thankful. There.. I said it... Can we cut the crap on the sub 32 temps now? Are we there yet are we there yet?

May this Spring be joyous for you - go ahead and get too high on the highs, but don't let the low spots get you down......... Love, Victor