There is a saying, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. So, what is Mother Nature doing scheduling a winter snow “event” on the 24th of March? When I am out shoveling, and the wind is biting me to the bone, it sure seems like more of a lion than a lamb to me. Today at my normal coffee gathering there were several that were trying to soft sell the weather over the weekend. I get “you know, Rod, we’ve had snow in May.” I don’t really care about the past folks; we’re talking right now. Did they not experience the below zero windchills this (Tuesday) morning? And then there is always that eternal optimist who chimes up and says, “well it won’t last long, it’s supposed to get into the 50’s next week.” Again, here, and now. It was 50 in February. That doesn’t do us a bit of good on March 24th.

“But haven’t you lived here all of your life, Rod. No need to complain” says another. I point out that even us native North Dakotans get a couple of chances a year to complain about the weather. We are less than a week from April showers that bring May flowers.

If you ask me, March is in a bit of a role reversal. The lion waited until the end of the month to roar. I suppose, we’ll have to give Mother Nature a bit of a wide track, though. Her winter was pretty darn nice…up to this point!

Speaking of Lions
Word came out mid-week that a brand new lion cub has arrived at Roosevelt Park Zoo. Congratulations to RPZ staff who have been caring for the new arrival while mom took a while to recover from the Cesarian Section birth. The photos of the little cub are cute. Can’t wait to until the little cub makes an appearance outside this spring.

Finishing A Story
I shared a story about my grandkids, and failed to finish the story as to why, and how, I got to be known as BePa (instead of grandpa, poppy, or whatever other name you insert instead of grandpa). My first grandson, Carter, had originally chosen the name, BePa, for me. Not exactly sure why, but it didn’t quite catch-on with me at first. I thought grandpa would be fine.
Then came the day when I needed a toddler for a photo shoot at a local credit union. They have a Pee Wee Penguin account to teach little kids how to save their pennies, and we needed a small actor to be putting money into a small bank.
It was pretty simple, I was to pick up Carter at daycare, and take him to the credit union. I arrived at the daycare, and all of the kids were downstairs. It was lunch time, and so I walked down the steps to see about 10 little folks sitting around tables eating what else, macaroni and cheese.

Carter caught a glimpse of me coming down the steps and quickly jumped up on top of the table and announced to all of the kids; “That’s my BePa, and I’m going with him!” They all cheered! Yep, been BePa ever since. Even got one of those fancy license plates for my pickup. There have been plenty of questions about the license plate. Everyone (especially grandparents) smile when I tell them the story.

Best Kept Secrets
But they won’t be for long. Downtown has a couple of new businesses. A great new restaurant located in the old Soo Line depot at the north end of Main Street. The Depot and Baggage Claim has great food, in a nostalgic atmosphere. Give it a try.
And almost right across the street is another new business, The Ugly Box. If you like digging for bargains, this is your store. Miscellaneous merchandise arrives from warehouses where it was unclaimed. New, but without a home. Every day is a different bargain, in a different box. Or maybe even different bargains in different boxes. Check it out.

Today’s Chuckle
Grandparents are important in the lives of children. They’re usually the ones with all the money