May. 26, 2003 - 17:56 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Nuts In May

Guess it is past the time when my nose goes boom in the spring, tra la. At least I hope so.

This time of year when most all things are in bloom or heavy bud I suffer a serious case of madness. When I was a kid it was the time I would gambol ? or frolic ? across the lea, yelling at the top of my lungs and bumping shoulders with cousins and friends exuberantly enjoying my life to the max. There seemed to be a well spring of silliness emanating from this dizzy kid. All kinds of action there was without rhyme, reason or sense, just the sizzle of life bursting from my happy soul.

That feeling is still in me, but now I watch our young relatives go through the same didos and live vicariously through them. That same spirit is there in them too. Then too, I remember the past years when I could somersault, do handsprings and cartwheels, running and going until I was too tired to do any more. Then resting, for all of a minute and going at it again. Seeking the shade of a newly leafed tree to cool off a bit as well.

After school was out for a while, then would come the serious games, architectural projects and DIY stuff, scavenging the alleys for things to turn into toys.

Here in our town Memorial Day weekend signified that school was almost out, the place we had been pent-housed all fall and winter would be over soon, most of our parents would take the family on the first picnic of the season, as deep in the hills as they felt the weather warranted. Some times the warranty on the weather ran out and we came home half frozen or drippy around the edges. But, really, our folks were pretty good judges and we kids got a chance to hoot, holler and howl to our hearts content and to gorge ourselves on picnic fare. Knowing that summer was on the way and time stretched without end 'til the death of school happened far in the dim future, added vim to our vigor and pep to our Pepsi.

Right now the weather has not yet come to a boil, the pavement is not shimmering in the heat and lazing in the shade is for later on. Occasional thunder showers would liven things up and a big event in this time would be the once in a while hail storm.

Back then we boys were to young to know or seriously exercise the mating instinct, but that surge of life was in us and we competed with each other in other things just for the fun of it.

Times like these were when Mom would say to me, "I like you, you're silly," and then give me a hug or a pat. I think she understood full well what was a boil in me.

It sizzles, it flows as a cascade, bubbles like a pot on the boil, at times schusshing like a skyrocket in the night. And I ? I go completely Nuts In May . . . . . . . . .

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