I’ve always loved spring. Once Christmas is over I start waiting for the arrival of spring. I begin telling my geraniums and chives (that moved inside in the fall), that in five months they will be able to go back outside. As the winter months roll slowly by I tell them four, then three, etc. until the day arrives and there will be no more frost. Then they can move outside into the wonderful sunshine.

From when I started school before my fourth birthday until I retired, I spent about fifty years or so going to school. There always seemed to be one day in spring when the skipping ropes and bats and balls and marbles made their appearances. It was like magic. It all seemed to happen on one day. This was before everyone had cell phones and email and stuff. Everyone just seemed to know that was the day.

The tattered old snow suits and winter jackets had finally been discarded. The leaky boots were gone. Hats and mitts and such were a thing of the past. With running shoes replacing the boots, it was easier to jump and skip. There was a wonderful feeling of freedom!

This is a quote by Mark Twain, passed on by a friend.  “It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is.  And when you’ve got it, you want-oh, you don’t quite know what it is you want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so.”

Recently, while watching the Raptors play the first round of playoffs, I started to wonder where the twenty-four second rule came from. This the time a team has to shoot for a basket once they have possession of the ball. I decided to see if I could find out, so I did a bit of research. I found out where it came from, and I found it to be very interesting.

In 1954 Danny Biasone, the owner of Syracuse Nationals, wanted a player to pick up the pace of the game. He figured that each team took about sixty shots in a game which meant a 120 shots all together. He took the 48 minutes in a game, which is 2,880 seconds. He divided that by 120. The answer is 24. And that is why the shot clock is set for 24 seconds.

I hope that we will soon enjoy the spring we deserve after a nasty winter. It will soon be time to plant our annuals, say goodbye to a few weeds and get ready for the colour a lot of us are so looking forward to. Happy Spring!

About the Author

Linda Calder is a retired teacher. She likes to write and enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys going on cruises, taking pictures and scrapbooking.