Spring is no reason to jump with joy

If you talk to some people, they'll tell you spring is the best time of year. It's understandable, of course, if you're visiting with folks who don't live in paradise, mainly those unlucky people who live back East.

Unlike most parts of America, the word "brutal" just doesn't apply to Southern California winters. Let's face it, when you complain about "how cold it is" in January, and the high temperature was 60 degrees, people in Minnesota think you're spoiled. (Guess what? You are.)

Back East, when the deep freeze begins to thaw, spring is a welcome relief. For people who wear parkas, hats and gloves--even on nice days--it's a big deal to see a robin or some flowers or green grass.

In sunny Southern California, we enjoy nice weather all year.

Come to think of it, spring may have gotten its good reputation under false pretenses.

For one thing, it's not going to be that green this year, not around here anyway. Enjoy the vegetation while you can because in a few weeks, it's back to brown.

Speaking of "green," the middle of April is the filing deadline for tax returns. Even if you're getting a refund, it's nothing to celebrate. Take another look at how much you paid. To most people, it was too much. This is balanced, however, by people who think that others didn't pay enough.

April 15 used to be the deadline. It had gotten such a bad reputation that the government decided to give the same curse to April 16. This year, they picked on April 17. But whatever day it is, it's another reason to dislike spring.

Spring is also the steppingstone to summer, which means kids home from school, expensive summer camps and too much idle time for teenagers.

There's only one legitimate reason to like spring, and that's baseball season.

The Dodgers, incidentally, are going to win the World Series this year. And yes, the same Acorn prediction has been made in previous years.

But this time, they might actually do it, so maybe spring isn't so bad after all.