SPRING ON THE WAY

 

The high temps will soon be in the 60s with lows above freezing. The days carry reminders that spring will come after all. It was lovely today, but even if the sun doesn’t shine quite so brightly, we still see the daffodils pushing up and the trees budding out. The days are noticeably longer, and by the way, the switch to daylight savings time is coming right up – March 9.

But – all danger of frost is not past. It was 32 again this morning, even though our daily highs have approached 60.

Last Sunday (Feb. 23), Mike and I drove to Moscow for a presentation of the Edwin Moses documentary, Moses: 13 Steps. Moses was in attendance to introduce the movie and then respond to a “guided Q&A.”

We left home about 3:00. A winter weather alert specified an atmospheric river, but it didn’t happen in the Valley. Instead, we found it as we drove across the Palouse. It was dark and foggy, and the heavy rainfall resulted in water on the highway. I thought it was scary.

The movie commenced 15 minutes late and lasted 105 minutes. Who except me would have counted those minutes? The fun part was the opportunity to see a movie in the old theater of my college days. It’s now operated as a non-profit for presentations, plays, and vintage movies.

After the movie, the interview began. I thought the questions were rather intellectual and didn’t spark my interest. Between the third and fourth questions, Mike motioned that we should leave. The atmospheric river still flowed freely until we reached the brow of the Lewiston Hill, where it gradually decreased to an intermittent drizzle. We arrived home at 7:30, and I for one was grateful to be here. I even turned down Mike’s offer to pick up food and made creamed tuna on toast for our late supper. (Note to self: plan better next time.)

What did we think of the movie? Well, Moses is considered the greatest 400-meter hurdler of all time, an athletic phenom, and I think this is the reason a person would make the effort to see him in person and watch the movie. While it certainly encompassed his athletic career, Mike and I agreed that somehow the presentation of his athletic accomplishment felt like an afterthought. And this is all I should say because beyond cheering my children on – and this was a long time ago – athletic competition just isn’t my interest. KW