# Signs of Spring **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2005, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775 "2005-04-11T11:43:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/21 "2005-04-11T15:09:54Z")
Ah, spring in Rochester! When walking to class doesn’t involve feezing halfway to death, and it actually makes sense to go outside. Oh, yeah, and there are cold snaps that just keep coming. I’m not exactly sure what I did to celebrate it, but now I have an empty bottle of Jameson, that was once full, so I’m sure it was fun. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/22 "2005-04-11T15:13:42Z")
> [@DirkGntly](#): > > That darned mole has been plowing tunnels all over the yard. Twenty years ago, I knew what to do about it - a spring-loaded mole trap and _snap_ it’s all over. Can’t do that anymore, but now I don’t know what to do about it. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to learn something else new about living here. > > … Dont’ do anything. Moles eat grubs, which are bad for the grass. If you’ve got moles, you’ll have a good lawn. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/23 "2005-04-11T15:29:49Z")
Spring around here isn’t much different than anything else, so I never really know when it’s arrived or not. I guess I should just go by the calendar. Anyway, I was up in Oregon for grandpa’s party this weekend. I’ve had enough of flight delays and airport terminals for the rest of the year…AT LEAST. I’ve also had enough of nosy Italian relatives. Oy. I’m tired. And I don’t want it to be Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Elysian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/24 "2005-04-11T15:32:13Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > Dont’ do anything. Moles eat grubs, which are bad for the grass. If you’ve got moles, you’ll have a good lawn. We have a groundhog that comes by a couple of times a week and eats _all_ of our dandelion heads. I love that little rodent. She’s also very cute, the way she waddles around and sits on her haunches and sniffs the air. She’s a very fat groundhog, probably from eating all of our dandelions. ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/25 "2005-04-11T15:34:52Z")
Baseball home openers! The smell of coppertone and garlic fries. The taste of an all beer hotdog with the works and a beer. The sound of the announcer, the smack of the ball on the bat, the roar of the crowds. And blissful, warm, sunshine. ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/26 "2005-04-11T15:40:59Z")
Signs of spring here in the desert - - 80 year old men wearing lighter colored shorts vs. the dark winter ones - People with Washington and Oregon and Canada license plates fleeing the heat (we’ve barely been in the 90s a few days and they are clogging the freeway, trying to get home to greener and cooler pastures) - A roadrunner crossing the street with a fat lizard in its mouth (no, really we do have roadrunners around here) - Trial run of the air conditioner in the condo, to make sure it’s in tiptop shape - Remove lipstick from car, due to meltability factor - Mr. Beckwall taking the trash to the curb, wearing nothing but my Hello Kitty tank top and flip flops (our neighbors have all disappeared, see #2 above) Well, I’m sure there’s more but my allergy medicine has clouded my thinking. Mmm, add allergies to the list of spring events. We watched **The Big Bounce** on HBO last night. Anyone else think it was thrown together, as in “Hey, let’s make a film in Hawaii with Owen and Morgan and throw in some bikini scenes”. Anyway, Owen Wilson cracks me up, so I enjoyed it. Mr. Beckwall liked the girl in bungaloo 9 much more than the lead blonde, and apparently so did Owen. 🆒 Is it spelled bungaloo? No time for spell check, gotta post. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/27 "2005-04-11T15:55:48Z")
> [@beckwall](#): > > - Mr. Beckwall taking the trash to the curb, wearing nothing but my Hello Kitty tank top and flip flops (our neighbors have all disappeared, see #2 above) :eek: Around here, you could get arrested for that. I have misplaced my pants. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/28 "2005-04-11T16:05:41Z")
> [@DirkGntly](#): > > Twenty years ago, I knew what to do about it - a spring-loaded mole trap and _snap_ it’s all over. Can’t do that anymore, but now I don’t know what to do about it. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to learn something else new about living here. Why can’t you? Does PETA dispatch a SWAT team if someone spots a mole trap in your yard? They’re still available, but harder to find. Try a garden catalog like Henry Fields ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/29 "2005-04-11T16:11:31Z")
> [@beckwall](#): > > Signs of spring here in the desert - > … > > - A roadrunner crossing the street with a fat lizard in its mouth (no, really we do have roadrunners around here) **Mmm, roadrunners _drool_** > > … > > - Mr. Beckwall taking the trash to the curb, wearing nothing but my Hello Kitty tank top and flip flops (our neighbors have all disappeared, see #2 above) > > … Are you sure all your neighbors are gone? I have to wonder, if he had no pants on, why did he even bother with the tank top? Several years ago my boyfriend took the dog out wearing only a towel (him, not the dog), a strong breeze came along and the towel came off. He thinks he saw my neighbor in their kitchen window at the time. Embarrased by that he avoided being the one to take the dog out for a while after. Fast forward to yesterday, he got up and took the dog out and fed the cats, when he came back in the room I realized he had nothing on so I had to wonder if he’s back to giving the neighbors a show. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/30 "2005-04-11T16:18:23Z")
It’s road runner season! Quick, somebody hide the Acme catalog from **Wile E**! 😃 Ok, I got nuttin’ else to add. I just couldn’t pass a road runner and coyote joke up. -swampbear (beep! beep!) ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/31 "2005-04-11T16:21:38Z")
> [@wonderwench](#): > > The taste of an all **beer** hotdog with the works and a beer. Had a few beers, eh? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/32 "2005-04-11T16:28:50Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > Ah, spring in Rochester! Is that Rochester New York? ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/33 "2005-04-11T16:49:09Z")
Hmmmm. . . yesterday started out sunny. Then it rained. Then it cleared up at my house, but kept raining a block away. Then it was windy for a bit. And then the clouds broke up just in time for the early evening sun to slip through the budding branches of the lilic bush. And then, it rained. Spring in the Pacific Northwest, aka “how to always be dressed wrong for the weather”. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/34 "2005-04-11T16:59:10Z")
**DrkG** if you kill the grubs, the moles will go away. It’s a lot easier to get rid of the grubs than it is to get rid of the moles (and voles - don’t forget them) when you don’t do anything to get rid of their food. I saw a big fat possum last night. It was underneath my car and went scurrying out (well, waddle, much like a groundhog) when I started that thing up. I thought it was a big rat at first. One of those wharf rats that can take down a German Shepard when cornered. ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/35 "2005-04-11T17:24:17Z")
I say kill the grubs, and the moles, they are both damaging to the yard. Some simple GrubEx will do the trick most of the time on the grubs, and there are a variety of good mole killers. I recommend the gas cartridges that you can pick up in 4 packs at Home Depot for about 6 bucks, those things are great. You stick them in one of the open holes, make sure that the rest of the holes are covered over, light the fuse, and let the magic happen. My favorite springtime ritual is sitting on the back patio after mowing the lawn for the first time, nursing a beer, listening to a ballgame on the radio, and watching the thunderstorms come in. Unfortunately, no thunderstorms as of yet, but the rest is playing out well. To all the other home growers, my peppers, allyssum, and petunias are leafing nicely under the grow light in the laundry room, but the tomatoes are lagging, which troubles me. Only a few more weeks until they go out to the garden, and no greenery in site yet! ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/36 "2005-04-11T17:34:36Z")
So, a question to all you green-thumbed people: What plants should I put in a windowsill garden? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/37 "2005-04-11T17:36:42Z")
I apparently didn’t get enough of travel this weekend. We’ve begun planning on a trip to Vegas. Anyone have any recommendations? Whatcha like to do there? ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/38 "2005-04-11T17:38:40Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Is that Rochester New York? It is indeed Rochester, NY. Infact it is so much in NY, that it is almost painful. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/39 "2005-04-11T17:40:51Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > So, a question to all you green-thumbed people: > > What plants should I put in a windowsill garden? You want flowers or edibles? (Or both - some flowers are edible as well as prettiful.) I haven’t flashed the neighbors in years, but today while still in my jammies, I put the final coat of paint on the front ex-dining room windows. Lots of kiddies going to school got a glimpse of me in my cute jammies. (They’re modest jammies - long pants and a long-sleeved top, but cute-cute-cute, white with leetle blue flowers all over.) ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775/40 "2005-04-11T17:45:16Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > You want flowers or edibles? (Or both - some flowers are edible as well as prettiful.) > > I haven’t flashed the neighbors in years, but today while still in my jammies, I put the final coat of paint on the front ex-dining room windows. Lots of kiddies going to school got a glimpse of me in my cute jammies. (They’re modest jammies - long pants and a long-sleeved top, but cute-cute-cute, white with leetle blue flowers all over.) Jammies! _snuggles **LifeOnWry** _ Prettiful and edible both are good 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signs-of-spring/298775.md?page=3)