The Front Porch

Ick. It’s early March and . . . while it’s not really winter, it’s not really spring, it’s . . . sminter? Wring? Sprinter?

Whatever this is, it sure isn’t pretty. The snow, what’s left of it, is gray tinged with black and hard as concrete. Whatever was underneath it, has now resurfaced, but soggier, flatter and even more lifeless than it was when whoever it was discarded it – the Mountain Dew bottle, the McDonald’s Happy Meal (not looking happy at all!)

Lawns are brown. The sky is grey. But, hey . . . Opening Day is just around the corner.

Yes. Brewer Baseball. The true first day of Spring as far as I’m concerned.

One of the great things about living here, is that the ballpark is a nice walk, a short bike ride, an even shorter bus ride (why drive when you have to pony up for parking?) away.

When my husband and I first moved into our house, we went to over 20 home games. That was back in the day when we didn’t have air conditioning and it was cooler in the bleachers, and tickets were $4.

I remember my husband camping out for opening day tickets – our house became the starting point for many an opening day party. Who says you can’t drink beer at 8 in the morning?

Let me just say this, that by the time the first pitch was thrown no one cared about the slushy game day conditions.

That was BC – before children. And we had to become responsible adults. Before there was a retractable roof.

This year? We are empty nesters. Control our own destiny. Unfortunately we are past the point of camping out for tickets (been there, done that). Opening day will find us outside (weather permitting) on the patio, Bob Uecker on the portable radio, our brats sizzling on the Weber and if the sun is out and the roof at Miller Park is open, we’ll hear the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd.

The best part? No lines for the bathroom.