The annual battle between winter and spring is in full force. We know spring will be the ultimate winner, usually by the time the flight is settled, summer is here and the temperature is 90-plus and nobody cares.
    Everyone who has lived in Iowa for more than 10 minutes has heard the old wives tale about robins enduring three snowstorms before spring arrives. By now, the robins’ tutus should have been dusted at least three times so the new season can arrive.
     For at least 10 years, a rabbit has nested in my back yard and set up a birthing room. The delivery was apparently completed last week as only a little mound of dirt remains as evidence. Every year, the nest is set up in the same exact spot.
    Thinking spring had arrived, I reserved a teepee at the Meskwaki Casino last Saturday night. As the week before progressed, the weather prognosticators became increasingly more certain a snow event would occur on the weekend.
    Saturday turned out to be a nice day so I made the trip. However, the winter storm warning for Sunday was very threatening so I cancelled my room and came home Saturday. It turned out to be the correct decision. New Hampton received a trace, but the casino was in a band of snow through Central Iowa that received six to 10 inches.
    Hopefully, we are now off the hook from snowstorms, although, we should never say never. I believe it was 1973, the second weekend of April, the Master’s Golf Tournament was played as always from Thursday to Sunday.
    On that Saturday, it started to snow in New Hampton and continued through Sunday night. By Monday morning, the town was paralyzed. Roads and schools were shut down, retail stores were closed as 14 inches of snow was blown into 5-foot drifts. My clothing store was locked and I remember watching a playoff on Monday when there was a tie in the Master’s. That tournament is this weekend and it looks like we won’t need our snow shovels.
    Hope the Easter Bunny is good to you. My new back yard babies will be a little young to work this year.