Take a look around next time you step outside. If you’re in your vehicle right now, slow down and look at the scenery.
It’s about to start looking a whole lot different.
It’s already starting to get a bit green outside. The late snowstorms and the early high temperatures have brought spring with them. The trees that are little more than bare sticks today could be turning bright green tomorrow.
I don’t mean to sound sappy or touchy-feely, but this is a time of renewal. The browns and golds will be replaced by various shades of green as the dominant colors in a few weeks. Maybe even sooner than that.
And with the days starting to get a little longer, it’s a signal to us all to get outside and enjoy it. They say employers expect to lose countless hours of productivity each year when the NCAA basketball tournament comes around, but here in the West, I have to think we have even more problems with productivity a little later than the rest of the country.
I can’t even guess how many people call in sick when the trees start to leaf out and the prairie grasses turn green. I don’t think it’s a total lie. In my opinion, spring fever is as real an ailment as the flu. And the only known treatment is a day on the lake or river bank.
Get outside and enjoy it while it lasts. It won’t be long before high temperatures and a lack of rainfall suck most of the green out of the countryside.
But between now and summer, you can bask in the beauty of the spring. The fish’ll bite all day, and you won’t have to worry about heat stroke.
You might have to find shelter or pull on your rain gear to avoid hypothermia, but that’s a small price to pay for the chance to experience springtime in Wyoming.
Before long, the runoff will muddy up the rivers and streams, and after that, the heat of mid-day will take a toll on the fishes’ appetites. So don’t put it off.
But don’t lie to your boss, either. Tell the truth. Tell your employer that you’re battling a case of spring fever. Instead of calling in sick, call in fishing.
