4. My favorite season.

     My favorite season of the year is spring.  Being a carpenter's son in a small town, in the sixty's and seventy's, was not a real pleasant experience.  During the winter there was never enough work for daddy to do, and if there was any work, the weather was usually so bad that it was a very unpleasant experience.  Unlike some people that were raised poor but didn't realize it, I realized we were poor from an early age.  So, spring meant better times, more work, and more money to do things.  It meant baseball season was starting, and yes as a kid I loved to watch baseball with daddy.  It meant summer was just around the corner. It meant my birthday.  It meant the Pierce reunion would be here before I knew it, and I always looked forward to the Pierce reunion.  I meant the wild flowers would be in full bloom.  It meant it was time to take a trip to Garner State Park.  It meant thunderstorms and going to the storm cellar.  It meant Easter.  It meant it was time to plant a garden.  It meant I would be getting up early and going to work with daddy.  Spring brings back so many memories.  Some are very fond memories and some are in a way a little sad.  I realize most of these experiences I will never have again.  But I am thankful that I have all of these wonderful memories.  I wouldn't change a thing if I could.  These memories are part of who I am today.