No, I'm not talking about these:
We had a pretty mild winter here in Massachusetts, and you'll get no complaints from me about that. Even so, the Spring time is always exciting for me. It's when things warm up and green up, baseball season starts, and lots of other fun, outdoor activities get under way.
One of the first signs of Spring around my yard is the appearance of the crocus, that delicate, little flower that is the first to foist its blooms in the garden each season. When I see these, I know winter has come to an end. It just fill me with joy.
Well today is the first day of Spring and I couldn't be happier. This winter sucked- we got a foot of snow per week over about a six week stretch. Oh, my aching back!
Spring is here, but in New England the weather can still be a bit dicey. It isn't truly Spring until we hear the spring peepers coming from the swale across the street.
One sure sign of Spring is Hot Dog Stories is BACK!!! We air our first video episode today! I went and visited Larry Joe's New England Fire Pit for the inaugural video episode and he didn't disappoint. You can watch the video HERE.
Here's some flowers poking up through the last bit of snow-it won't be long!
Pitchers and catchers reported to Spring training yesterday!
This means a couple of things to me:
1. Spring is right around the corner
2. Hot Dog season is right around the corner!
Spring is obvious-there are only 34 days until the first day of Spring which comes on March 20 at 11:21 PM this year. Seeing baseball again conjures images of warm, sunny days on emerald fields- a far cry from the snow covered deep freeze we are in now. When the pitchers and catchers report, the proverbial light is at the end of the tunnel.
Hot Dog season always started for me around the first of April-45 days from today. That's when the real games start. Baseball and hot dogs go together like, well, like baseball and hot dogs! Even though most ballpark hot dogs can't measure up to a dog you'd get from your local hot dog truck, the symbiotic relationship of baseball and hot dogs makes the start of baseball season a tubesteak milestone.
It won't be long until all the hot dog carts and trucks (at least the ones that packed it in for the winter) start dotting the landscape and serving up that finest of delicacies- the roadside hot dog.
So get pumped for Spring training. Hot dog season is right around the corner!
Spring time in my neck of the woods has many telltale signs. Here's the top ten:
10. The Hot Dog Truck's Business is picking up
9. Little League Tryouts are this weekend
8. Birds are singing in the wee morning hours
7. The Street Sweepers are out in force cleaning up all the sand from wintertime
6. Red Sox Opening Day is imminent
5. The Spring Peepers are out
4. They're delivering 10 cubic yards of bark mulch to my house next week
3. My "honey do" list is growing
2. the seedlings for the garden are sprouting
And the number one sign spring is coming
IT WAS 15 DEGREES OUT TODAY!!!!
I am back from FLA and I will be open for the first day of Spring!
How could it be any other way?
Spring is definitely in the air. In fact, the first day of Spring is March 20, one week from today! The Hot Dog Truck is ready to roll. The refrigerator and freezer are cranking up (frozen treats will be added to Le Menu this season), the grill is spic and span and the new water heater was installed this morning. All I need is the Board of Health to sign off and I am good to go!
My original Board of Health appointment is for next Thursday, but I am going to bump it up to Monday or Tuesday so I can get going on the 20th.
STAY TUNED, we're getting close!
I grow a beard every winter. I start it after Thanksgiving and shave it Christmas day for my mother (she hates the beard). I then grow it out until Spring. I have been doing this for almost 20 years. I can't wait to get back out there and start slinging dogs-I am getting restless. It's as sure a sign of Spring as any to see the hotdogman's clean shaven mug.
It's almost time to shave........
It looks like the March 3 opening of the Hot Dog Truck will be put off for a week or two. The weather this winter has been horrible. There have been no HUGE storms, but it has been a consistently wet and snowy season. It's supposed to snow and or rain for the next week or so. This has prevented me from doing some of the things I need to do to get set up which has led to a delay in getting my Board of Health permit. I hope to have that sewn up by the end of next week.
While the weather is crappy, I am getting the NEW HOT DOG TRUCK serviced so it will be ready to go. I got a nice new sign on the side and I am having the entire truck checked over by my mechanic.
Looks like a first day of Spring opening date is more realistic.
Stay Tuned......
While this might just look like an ordinary moving truck to most people, it signifies a landmark early right of Spring to members of Red Sox Nation. This is the truck that leaves Fenway Park with all the Red Sox equipment every February for Fort Meyers, Florida. The truck left this morning, signaling the first spring training ritual.
ONLY 59 days until OPENING DAY!!!!
Three things signal the true beginning of spring for me:
Little League tryouts
Red Sox Opening Day
The sound of the Spring Peepers in the early morning and at dusk.
The day has finally come for our Little League tryouts! They are Saturday and Sunday which means the next three months will not be my own; I will be dedicating many hours to my team with practices and games. All the snow is gone and the fields look good, its time to PLAY BALL!
The Red Sox open in Kansas City on Monday and I believe there are three day games next week-that means the Red Sox talk will be hot and heavy at the Hot Dog Truck!
I heard my first Spring peepers this morning.
IT'S REALLY SPRING!!
Here's a couple of Kraut Dogs to hold you over until dinner:
AAAAhhhhh.......Spring!
AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGHHH!!!! SPRING?!?!?!?!
Think I'll have a Coke.....
Spring arrives at tonight at 8:07 PM Eastern Standard Time. This isn't what conjures up memories of Spring for me!
This is what the Hot Dog Truck looks like on the first day of Spring! All the snow is left over from the snow storm last Friday. By 9 AM everything was melting fast; I hope the baseball fields will be clear by March 31 because that's when our Little league holds tryouts! (Yes I am an optimist!) It was a slow day for sales so I was able to read a book I am writing a review on.
I have this sign hanging at my Hot Dog Truck and I have a box to collect can tabs for the Shriner's Children's Hospital. The Shriners Hospitals for Children operates 18 hospitals throughout the U.S., Montreal, Canada, and Mexico City, Mexico, for children with orthopedic problems and burns. Shriners Hospitals are open to all children up to their 18th birthdays. They collect the tabs and recycle them to help fund their hospitals. Its such a no-brainer way to help a really good cause. If you'd like to collect can tabs for the Shriners, you can find out more HERE.
