Green Grass and Baseball in March  

by Phyllis Bohonis

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]It was Tuesday, March 20, 2013. I had been folding laundry, ironing and puttering around upstairs in my office. At lunchtime I went down to the kitchen to make a sandwich for myself. I was buttering the bread when I heard voices from the other room and realized Ray had gone out and left the television on. What else is new?

Outside the window a late winter storm was blasting its way across the Ottawa area. It was the last day of winter and it was not going out quietly. All of a sudden the crack of a bat and the raised voices of the announcers shouting, “It’s a home run!” turned winter into summer. I closed my eyes and could picture the green grass of the infield and the fans sitting in the sun on the bleachers. I could smell the popcorn and feel the warm summer breeze. My mouth watered when I heard a vendor in the background calling “Beer here”. It was a pre-season game between the Phillies and the Yankees.

I closed the curtains, turned my back on the window and the storm wreaking havoc outside, and sat at the table. I listened to the game from the kitchen rather than watching it live on the television. I let the sun shine on me and pretended my sandwich was a juicy hot dog piled high with mustard and chopped onions.

Philadelphia won 4 to 1.

Oh well, less than a month until major league ball starts.

~~~

Please note:

Five years later I’m so happy I jotted down my feelings on that horrible last day of winter. These are the things memories are made of.  I encourage readers to record incidents, no matter how trivial, for reminiscing at a later date. The sounds from that televised ball game lifted my spirits, not only for an hour or so that day, but again today in my retelling of it.

Life is a highway and we must enjoy the sights and sounds along the way.

You may contact Phyllis directly by email Phyllis@richmondhub.ca