It’s kind of an unusual question. “What season are you getting ready for?” Let me start by saying that there are a couple of “signs” that summer will soon be upon us. I am certainly not a meteorologist, but when we have a late spring, which we have this year, summer hits us in a hurry. So what season are you preparing for?

We are the proud owners of a 27 foot sailboat that is stored at Fort Stevenson. Over the weekend we made our initial trip to the lake to officially start work on getting Celebration ready to launch of Memorial Day weekend. One sign that tells us that spring has officially arrived is the disappearance of ice from Lake Sakakawea. It happened in a hurry this year. Friday, we crossed the 4 Bears Bridge near New Town, and the lake was still mostly covered with ice. Saturday when we arrived at Fort Stevenson, the lake was completely clear of ice. High winds and warm temperatures on Friday afternoon turned the lake over.

For you gardeners and yard enthusiasts there is the more obvious sign of plants appearing in the local hardware stores. I also watch for the neighborhood garden centers to be brought out of winter storage and erected for their annual 6-week appearance. Last week the one on 4th Avenue at Arrowhead Shopping Center was being stocked with plants, ready for those who are early bird gardeners. My Mom, who worked in a large greenhouse, would always tell me not to plant flowers before Mother’s Day, and never plant a garden before Memorial Day. Her green thumb did not get passed down to me. I do OK, but nothing like my Mom.

Another sign of the coming summer season is the appearance of campers and boats in driveways. Fort Stevenson park had several campers over the weekend. I always liked early spring and late fall camping. Yeah, you give up the water activities (remember, there was ice on the water on Friday), but it’s fun to see the animals like the prairie dogs and deer once again being active and we will see them with their babies. Soon the parking lots will be full of empty boat trailers as fisherman once again hit the lake for fishing excursions. Later this summer the water will warm up and the beaches will be filled with recreational activities.

There are so many great seasons in North Dakota, but perhaps the most obvious, right now, is the planting season that has begun for our farm families. There were several farmers in the field with their spring tillage and planting equipment. Pulled by large tractors they till, apply anhydrous ammonia and granular fertilizer, and seed their crops in one pass. It is absolutely amazing, even to those of us who grew up in North Dakota. The other source of amazement is the efficiency with which they do their job and keep America the largest producers of ag products in the world.

There are so many other seasons during our summers in North Dakota. Perhaps that is why we get so much daylight, so we can get it all done. Soon we’ll be sailing Sakakawea in Celebration because of course, the sailing season has begun. If you haven’t already done so, start planning!

Best Kept Secrets
This week our Summer Adventure Guide will be inserted into the Northern Sentry and will hit our distribution racks. Pick one up, as it is the best and most complete Summer Adventure Guide we have ever produced.
Today’s Chuckle
Most people want to make something of themselves…other than a fool, that is.