Springtime

Here we are in April - one of the most beautiful months in the calendar.  It's soooo green and pretty here.  All the daffodils have bloomed and are on the way out.  The tulips are here now and the dogwood and redbud trees and other flowering trees are blooming.  All the  non-flowering trees are budding and it's just gorgeous here in Central Virginia.  As I've stated before, springtime is my favorite time of year and it brings back many memories dear to my heart.  One outstanding spring memory is our 6th grade patrol trip to Washington, DC.  Some of you reading this also took that trip.  Some were with me and some were with other schools.  The patrol trip was the reward given for your hard work as a school patrol and the highlight of the 6th grade.  It was also a learning event, as we visited every monument in DC you can cram into 48 hours.  It was a three day event that covered every possible historic site between Charleston, WV, and DC.  We visited Monticello (little did I know then I would live my life at the foot of Jefferson's house) and I remember the guide showing us Monticello on the nickel.  We visited Endless Caverns and I remember it was freezing, therefore ending any more travels underground.    But the most outstanding memory of DC was the very wide, white , meticulously cared for sidewalks and the significance they conveyed to my 11 year old mind.  They were national sidewalks, therefore, they were better than my state capital city sidewalks.  They bore the weight of people from all over the world AND their dirty shoes and spilled food, and yet they gleamed and sparkled.  They seemed to go on forever.  No matter where we walked, those wide, sparkling sidewalks adjacent to the large, magnificent buildings never ended.  I was mesmerized.  This was what people in that powerful, fabulous city deserved - the very best sidewalks in the world.  We were so lucky to be walking those shimmering sidewalks.  This city was Oz!!  It glittered like Oz!  We walked in a line, double file to our destination.  Our leader called, "HALT!" and we stopped.  We were waiting for the stop light to allow us to cross the street.  Still infatuated with the big city, I turned around to see where we had been, and standing there was a sight I'll never forget - a drunken man, urinating on the splendid sidewalks of the capital of the United States.  As I've grown into an old lady, I have indeed learned that DC is Oz, but not the Oz of the 11 year old.  It's still beautiful and we still love going there, but always, always, watch your step.  You never know what's on the sidewalk.  And that's true everywhere.