Shoulder Season

The twins snuck into my bedroom and shook my shoulder. I woke with a start and asked them what was wrong.

“We really want to play in our soccer game on Saturday. Can we go skiing after the game?”

I looked at them trying to figure out if I was being played. We always head out on Friday night for our ski weekends. Now, we’re going mid-day on Saturday?

“Let me talk with mom.”

“We already did,” they said. “She said it’s OK with her if it’s OK with you.”

Aye Carumba! Cornered.

“OK. We can do that. Now, go back to bed.”

And, just like that, the “shoulder season” had arrived.

Skiing wasn’t quite done, but we’d had just enough sunny, warmish days to tease this branch of the Auth family into thinking spring.

This same thing is happening in park departments all across the country—especially those in the northern climate. Winter is slowly turning to spring, which means it’s time to fix those things that didn’t get fixed in the fall, prep all those sports surfaces for the spring and summer seasons, plan for pool openings, and so on. It’s a busy time. To help you wade through it all, we’ve dedicated this issue to spring park maintenance. Hopefully, you’ll find some tips and tricks that lighten the load.

Of course, we’re not all work. We’ve also included a few gems just for the pure fun of it. I think you’ll enjoy the issue—almost as much as I enjoyed my girls’ soccer game and the leisurely mid-day drive to spring skiing.

Till next month…

Rodney J. Auth

Publisher

Insert Fall Festival info here.