Spring At Last
We who live in the Mid-West suffer a longer winter than do those who live in the South. And unlike our countrymen in Minnesota or the Canadians winter is not a universal hockey season or celebrated for snowmobiling adventures etc. We endure winter. When spring arrives in early May its a big deal.
That’s how it felt this past weekend. My Saturday featured a trip to a local horse farm. I wielded a shovel
at the manure pile filling three containers which I conveyed back to the house. Then I spread a thin layer of manure and straw on the dark earth of the garden. While working I noticed the bird calls and the intense green of the grass, which I later mowed.
I took a few pictures of the new growth all around. The miracle of Nature is manifest in the cycle of the growing season, followed by the die off of winter, and then–spring comes again. That is something to think about, a source of wisdom, of solace.
The next day, Sunday dawned, with blue sky and full sunlight. After a fine breakfast of crepes with strawberry mousse at Taste-of-Paris Cafe, we learned that a car show was in progress in the adjoining parking lot. We decided to walk over. A street rod show in the Mid-west is a quintessential sign of spring. Hot
Rods after all, are primarily machines built for the purpose of appreciation. The dazzling paint jobs, sometimes with subtle flame treatment on the fenders, and the surface of chrome, etc, are eye candy for gear heads. A street rod is a
throw back to the 1960s, when gas was cheap, traffic was far less congested, and late night on a country road you could turn “the beast” loose, another car along side, to see who had the quickest machine. The motor would scream, as the tachometer needle arced right, smell of gasoline and burnt rubber. That day is past. I enjoy car shows for all of the above reasons, –the artistry of the construction and finish of the vehicles, and for the memories that come back.
I miss those days already. Soon we will all be driving an EV, –the equivalent of a transportation toaster.
2 thoughts on “Spring At Last”
Your writing caused me to remember the hot cars of yesteryear. To be sure those at the car shows are not just cars, some of them are jewels of dazzling color and finish. The other day, while here in Kentucky, I went to a Ford dealer and there it was, metallic orange with bright wheels and an engine I could only have dreamed of in years past. Only 305 cubic inches but 460 hp., naturally aspirated, the supercharged version is over 700 hp. Yes, I came close, but at $43,000 the urge to return to days past became less important.
For our generation a muscle car, or hot rod is the icon of our time, when Detroit was in its heyday. Like you once in a while the temptation comes. An old friend who knows a thing or two about the seduction of speed told me that when he feels inclined to do something foolish, he lays down for a while until the feeling passes. i am still laughing at that one.