The slow march of madness that is Spring in Ohio

In Ohio we have our own kind of March Madness. It has nothing to do with college hoops. Only in Ohio can you truly appreciate the splendor of Spring. For weeks on end you can see a solid six inches of snow pack from seemingly endless "1-3 inches" daily (see right, click to enlarge). And then suddenly a week of 60 degree weather brings about a burst of Spring.

Those who live here know to savor these days... for another shot of cold and wet is sure to come. We don't plant flowers until Memorial Day. We're not surprised of a June frost.

Spring is the time of rebirth, of renewal.

The grays and browns of the woods and lawns slowly dissolve into greens as the buds burst forth. (see left, click to enlarge)

Except it's not exactly a bursting, but a slow and methodical March madness of our own.

We like to kid that in Ohio, Spring is between 2 and 4 p.m. on a weekday in April. In reality sometimes Spring doesn't really appear at all. There are seasons where winter drags interminably on through March, and even in to April, then swiftly passes the baton on to Summer.

So when a string of 60-degree days comes along, suddenly everyone is out in its midst enjoying what may be the short-lived Spring. You just don't know. So you grab on to it and ride it for all it can. You never know if Spring is going to be bounced out, much like your favorite seed in the NCAA tournament. And much like the first rounds of March Madness, where sports fans are glued to their TV's all day long, too, are many Ohioans outdoors hanging on to the warmth of the sun after a long cold winter.

January of 2009 went down in Northeast Ohio as the second snowiest ever. It came and it came and it came some more. Most winters I don't bother shoveling, as the ebb and flow of temperatures perks up above freezing often enough to melt it off the driveway. But not this season, as witnessed by the half-shoveled mess of my driveway (see left, click to enlarge).

But when Spring finally does arrives, it's anticipation matches that of the at-large, mid-major colleges waiting for their invite to the tournament.



And Spring comes early and hangs around for a while, we feel like it's our Cinderella team making the Sweet 16 (see right, click to enlarge). Either way, madness is an Ohio March.

- J.

Post-script... The NCAA tournament ended on Monday night, April 6th... and a lake effect snow warning was issued the same night. The result of March Madness? More snow in Ohio (see photos below, click to enlarge)