*Column from our April 3-9 issue

I ran into my sister at the grocery store the other day and we compared a few grocery cart items. One thing that became clear was our differences when it comes to snacking. 

In my cart there were nuts, dried fruit, and yes, a family-sized bag of chocolate covered almonds. In hers? Enough salted snacks to coat all outport roads in winter from November to April in a bad year. She was also sluggin’ two jumbo sized, very not fun looking jugs of some sort of pink floor scrubbin’ substance along with enough Javex to sanitize ten fish trawlers. The only cleaning product ready to be purchased in my cart was for dish washing, and that’s because it was for under two bucks on sale and I figured with the cost of everything these days there was nar bit harm in picking up a spare bottle. “Fine set of jugs,” I said to my sister as she slugged the sanitizing ammo out of her cart to check out.

‘Spring cleaning, maid’

“What are you planning on doing with those big things?” I asked. She gave me a look. “Spring cleaning, maid,” she said with a twinkly gleam in her eye. That made us both laugh. “A maid would have to come with this purchase to excite me,” I teased. Truth is, I still don’t have my house ready for last Christmas let alone being ready to welcome spring into my home. While she welcomed the spring-ahead time-change with the refreshing scent of bleach and forest pine needles, I’m more the open the window and let the stink blow off us all kind. 

In spite of my disdain for dutifully  disinfecting the works and walls and all of that, I do love this time of year. The evenings are longer, the air smells of hope for better weather and kids are a heck of a lot easier to love when they spend more time outdoors than in. 

Plus, what’s not to love about Easter?  For a chocolate lover like myself, it’s a bonanza in the form of an Easter bunny’s edible ears. Kids get all excited for the Easter Bunny and the goodies and treats he’ll bring. Clothing colours are bright, smiles delight as the frigid temps become but a memory and there’s a skip in everyone’s step as they step out to face the day with the promise of May two-four just around the corner.

Paradise in the sky

Plus, life has pretty much returned to a pre-COVID normal, and what’s not to love about that?  My nephew was out for a drive with my sister not long after our grocery store excursion and had me on speaker as we spoke. As always, his little rabbit ears were tuned in to make sure he missed none of the conversation. “Where are you now?” I asked, planning to connect once our running around for the day was done.

“In Paradise,” my sister answered, to which my four-year-old nephew – often babysat by his 70-plus year-old church-going grandparents – replied, “Hey guys. Nanny says Paradise is up in the sky…” That may be, kid, but this time of year, it’s pretty heavenly right here on earth too. Longer evenings, warmer temps (eventually), opened windows to let the dust bunnies fly, and access to all the chocolate bunny ears one’s heart desires.

Pam Pardy, The Herald’s Managing Editor, can be reached by emailing [email protected]