The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

The birds are chirping, the trees are budding, bugs are making an appearance and the kids are getting rambunctious. Spring is here and summer just around the next bend.

So that means a few things are about to get going full swing. One is tourism, and we all know that means dollars in our community. From the parks to the hotels to the restaurants, it is a trickle-down effect. Even if you are thinking it does not impact you. It does. Hotel/Motel taxes go into our city coffers and get spent back in our towns. Granted, its to improve tourism and attract more visitors, but it still helps our area if it is used right.

The second thing is that yards will begin to be greened up again as the busy gardeners and yard care workers get busy, raking trimming, planting and beautifying their corner of ground. Cities will be sweeping. Owners will be painting. Kids will be driving and looking for jobs for a few dollars in their pocket.

Babies. Yep, babies will be poking out of every nook and cranny soon. Birds, deer, and other critters will soon be laying and birthing new animals into our world. Not to mention all the human babies that seem to be coming into the world this year in the last few months. So crying, peeping and lost fawns will all be saying hello to us as we enjoy the sunshine.

Fishing will be ramped up (although the serious fishers never stopped, no matter the temperature) and the shore lines will be full of anglers trying to land the fish of choice. Boats, too, will reemerge from their winter slumber and fill the waterways. First trolling for meaty swimmers and then the skiers and boarders will emerge looking to take a meaty swim of their own.

And, yes, the kids can smell it. Spring break next week, soon followed by the crazy summer time. They have already let their brains drift to far away vacations and all-day trips to the local swimming hole of their choice. Summer job hunts begin along with the feeling of love, some for the first time, others have experienced this euphoria before. Hormones go into overdrive, just like the critters that surround us. Side note: Kids, you are kids. No need to rush things, you’ve got the rest of your life to be committed to something so big as a relationship. So, enjoy just being a kid. Side note over.

So, whether you’re a kid looking for your first employment or a gardener looking for the perfect tomato crop, or a fisherman looking to land the elusive walleye, or a teacher looking for the last day of school on the calendar, remember to enjoy what we have blooming, growing and happening around us. Enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. Work with grandma in her rose garden, help dad pick up around the house, go fishing with Uncle Jimmy (yeah, you know who I am talking about) and relax.

Summer will be here soon and we will be complaining about the heat. So enjoy this precious time of year. And kids, Stay Calm. Summer will be here soon. Don’t go all crazy on us. I’m just saying.