By Bill Quain
It’s that time of year again. It isn’t spring yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s not winter either. You can see hopeful signs all around us. Jeanne and I just called our “boat guy” to talk about getting our boat back into the water. Right now, it’s with all the other boats – on a big lot on the mainland, with shrink-wrap around it. Our boat guys will soon be bringing it over to their shop, painting the bottom, waxing the hull, and checking all our systems. In a few weeks, they’ll be delivering it right to our dock. So this is definitely a specific time period, but does it have a name?
In our front yard, there are daffodils that come to life every year. We’ve even seen them poke their heads up through the snow. A few years ago, we did some landscaping in the front yard, and we moved some things around. Now, some of those daffodils pop up right in the middle of the grass! There’s gotta be a name for that! But we have no idea what it is. Is it “early spring” or is it “unintended daffodils”? Those names don’t give it justice.
Flounder season opens on May 4 this year. Part of the fun of the fishing season is just getting ready for it. Pretty soon, I’ll go out to the shed and start digging out all my tackle, along with the new rods I got for Christmas. Then I’ll head over to my favorite fishing store. We’ll start buying hooks and sinkers. Then, I’ll spread out all that new tackle, sort through the old stuff, and start packing it neatly into my tackle boxes. What’s that time called?
Our winter tenants move out soon. There will be lots of cleaning and painting to do before we start our summer rentals. The air conditioning specialists are coming over this week to get our systems ready for the summer season. Our cleaning crew just called to find out when to do the changeover between winter and summer rentals. Of course, we have to load up on cleaning supplies. I know that this big cleaning is called “spring cleaning,” but what’s the time between the winter and summer tenants? It must have a name.
Here’s something we look forward to each year – getting our awnings back on the front of the house. Man, that is really a sign that something is about to happen. I’m always a little depressed when they take the awnings down in the fall. But I get that hopeful feeling when they go back up in spring. I love the splash of color those awnings bring. You know what it tells me? It tells me that “the time has come!” But again, I have to ask you, what time is it? Does it have a name? It really should.
We have an old Victorian house. One of the things I like most about it is the foyer area when you first come in our front door. We have a long bench there, and right now, it has piles of sweaters and sweatshirts on it. The hall closet is full of winter coats. All those sweaters and heavy coats, along with the gloves and hats, need to go upstairs. They’ll stay there until late fall. We’ll wait just a little bit longer for that because you never know if you are going to get a cold snap. You hate to put everything away, just when you need it. But maybe you won’t? Now that feeling has to have a name.
I sometimes forget names these days.
I am in my early 70s now. Although come to think of it, can we really use the word “early” when we are talking about being in our 70s? I sometimes forget names. I’ll look at an object and think “what is that called?” So, it is possible that all the things I just described actually have a name, but I just don’t remember it right now. But I am beginning to think that there are a lot of things that still need to be named.
You know what I’m talking about. We get that same feeling every time we are in that situation. It happens every year, so it is very familiar to us. Sometimes, it’s a feeling of anticipation, and that feeling is almost as good as the thing that we are looking forward to. I absolutely love getting my fishing gear ready. It delights me to talk to the boat guys! What a relief when those sweaters go away. I can sit on the porch all day long, in the shade of our newest awnings. Am I forgetting the names? I don’t think so. But these things are as real to me as if they did have names.
Time to share your unnamed experiences.
How about you? Do you have any familiar feelings, great memories, times of anticipation, or maybe just a mood that is so real it should have a name? I’d love to hear from you. Just shoot me an email to bill@quain.com.
Bill is a Professor in Stockton University’s Hospitality Management Program. He is the author of 27 books, and a highly-respected speaker. Even though he is almost totally blind, Bill is a long-distance runner and runs the Ocean City Half Marathon each year. He lives in Ocean City with his wife Jeanne, and his Guide Dog Trudy. Visit www.billquain.com or email him at bill@quain.com.
