Viger Blog

Camping

2011-10-26T08:01:00.002-05:00

Take a Little Dip

2011-10-25T14:37:00.001-05:00

On a bike ride we came upon this rope swing over the river. Joan was the first to swing over the water and back to shore. Everyone (Madie, Wes, and Sophie included) except Karen and I took a swing over the river and all landed back on dry land except Emily. She tipped back into the water and got her shoes and pants wet so she figured she might as well jump in. She said the water was freezing. Would have been fun in the summer, but not so much when it is 40 degrees.

Mystery Cave

2011-10-25T11:36:00.002-05:00

Disappearing River

2011-10-25T10:56:00.004-05:00

When we were at Mystery Caves, our tour guide told us we were visiting at the perfect time. We were standing by a small river (South Branch of the Root River) and he said it was disappearing before our eyes. You could not tell there, but the river was disapearing into the rocks below and flowing through the lower portions of the Mystery Caves. Our guide told us to stop out by the highway and on one side of the road the river looked normal (top picture) and the opposite side the river disappeared into the rocks (bottom picture). It was really neat! Our guide told us that the river ran underground for about 6 miles and then reemerged as a group of about 25 springs. He said that it was also very neat, but was located on private property. The state park system has first option to buy the springs, but with the financial condition that Minnesota is in, I think it will be quite a while before they own the springs.

Mom's Little Pumpkin

2011-10-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

A Little Fall Color

2011-10-06T11:42:00.000-05:00

Rabbit River Receding

2010-03-17T11:54:00.003-05:00

These pictures were taken yesterday when the Rabbit River was about at its crest. It has dropped about 6 inches overnight. The forecast looks good, with no significant rain or snow in the next week. This level is about 2 feet lower than the crest last year.

Congrats Rebels

2010-03-15T23:11:00.007-05:00

Emily's 6th Grade basketball team won the last two tournaments they were in. Last weekend the girls won their first game 52-5. The week before, in the championship game we were losing 0-6 at halftime and came back to win 10-8. Emily is very good at defense. She gets really intense! You can see a little of that in the last picture. The girls had a lot of fun and really improved over the season.

Goodbye Snowmobiles

2010-03-15T19:17:00.004-05:00

Alex's buddy Levi came over after school today and they decided to take the four wheelers out. Afterward, Alex said he had never been stuck so often with a fourwheeler.

Pat's Retirement

2010-02-15T12:03:00.008-06:00

Congratulations on 20 years in the Navy, Pat! We are so proud of your service to our country. Your retirement celebration in sunny San Diego was great. We had a wonderful time celebrating with all the relatives. It was a great reunion!

2010-01-21T21:43:00.006-06:00

We went skiing last weekend at Wild Mountain with Janet, Joan and Wade for Maddie and Wes's birthday. They just turned five. We used the gift certificate that the Smiths gave us a year ago for Christmas. Thanks alot, we had a great time. We actually tried to use it last year, but Sam got sick on the way skiing so we did not use it because he was so bummed about not being able to go. The weather was perfect, low 30s and very little wind.

Below is video of Sam jumping and Sophie skiing.

Alaskan Toms

2010-01-13T00:09:00.003-06:00

Tom and Thomas are visiting from Alaska. Mom had us over to celebrate Tom's 40th birthday. Thomas really enjoyed his cousins.

The Perfect Tree

2009-12-07T10:06:00.006-06:00

We made our annual trip to find the perfect tree. Alex wasn't feeling good so he missed this years outing. When we got to the tree farm, we told them we needed a saw. Sam asked why we didn't bring the chainsaw and we told him it was time he and Emily cut the tree down. After driving around looking for awhile, the kids wanted to ride in the back of the pickup. Sophie got in back first and said "Dad, you did bring the chainsaw with". We had a hard time finding a normal size tree (that's about twelve feet for us). We found a pre-cut tree that would work, but it's just not the same as cutting it yourself. This tree farm has had a lot of problems with deer eating the bottoms of the trees and they said to take the top off a bigger tree. We ended up using the chainsaw, after Em and Sam got sick of cutting by hand, to take the top half of a 25 footer.

Camping

2009-08-07T15:01:00.009-05:00

After the Twins game we camped at Bunker Hills Park. Curt and Sue stopped out Monday evening. It is always fun to hang out with friends and family around a campfire. This trip we reverted back to tents, because our pop-up camper does not want to pop-up (or down for that matter).

Bunker Beach

2009-08-07T14:20:00.005-05:00

We took the kids to Bunker Beach water park. Everyone had a great time. Sophie loved jumping over the waves!

Keima at MOA

2009-08-07T14:06:00.005-05:00

We took Keima to the Mall of America. We took his picture by home plate of the old Met Stadium. When Mitsuhiro (Keima's father) stayed with us in 1977 we went to a Twins game at the Met.

Friends

2009-05-13T20:24:00.002-05:00

Alex had a couple of friends stay over. They played a lot of air soft, hung a couple of wood duck houses, played a little basketball, and tried fishing on the mighty Rabbit River (caught nothing).

Sam Mows

2009-05-13T20:04:00.005-05:00

Sam wanted to start mowing, so I dug out the 318 and he loved it. He weighs just enough so the safety switch knows someone is sitting on the seat (if he shifts his weight just a little the mower quits). I could not get the hydraulics to work to raise or lower the deck so I took the mower in to get that fixed (it was cutting higher than we like to). As soon as Sam got off the bus today he said "Dad, did you get the mower fixed?" With three kids willing and able to mow(ok Sam is the only one that wants to, and that probably won't last long), I shouldn't even have to ask them to mow this summer, right!? To see how straight he drives, check out the video below.

Mother's Day

2009-05-13T19:45:00.005-05:00

We had the annual Mother's Day get together at Mom's. Jack brought a rocket that Alex helped him put together. It was a very nice day and the company was great! The first picture was from the weekend before. Sophie got up early and told me we needed to make Mom breakfast in bed, so we made some muffins. It is a good thing we did it early as Karen went down to her Mom's with Sam and Sophie and then back for the party at my Mom's.

Wings Over Wahpeton

2009-05-07T00:04:00.009-05:00

There was a free airshow in Wahpeton today. The pilots all brought their planes and flew as a tribute to the late Gerry Beck from Wahpeton who died flying at an airshow a couple of years ago. Gerry restored and flew many World War II vintage planes. The airport invited all the schools in the area to see to show, and Campbell decided to let all the kids up through 6th grade go. After Alex's baseball game last night, he said he really wished that he could go and I thought it was still too wet to plant, so why not take him out of school to see it. The A-10 and Canadian Snowbirds were highlights (see videos below).

Preschool Program

2009-04-28T21:17:00.006-05:00

Sophie's preschool had a little program and ice cream sundaes yesterday. The kids were very cute and they had a blast. Sophie's two teachers are in the first picture.

Twins Game

2009-04-19T22:17:00.009-05:00

Sam and Maddie

We went to the Twins vs. Angels baseball game on Saturday. The Twins came through with a 9-2 win. We were 20 rows up, just past third base. The kids thought it would be fun to make a "Circle Us Bert" sign and maybe Bert Blyleven would circle them on television. Bert (an ex-Twins pitcher) circles fans on the TV broadcast. Alex watched the game again this morning, but we weren't circled. Oh well, it was a fun idea!

White Again!

2009-04-01T22:24:00.004-05:00

Yesterday's snow total in Campbell was 26 inches. Alex had a couple friends over snowmobiling today since they did not have school. The temperature got up to 36 degrees today and the snow is melting quickly. I have heard the moisture in the snow is equivalent to 3 inches. We are hoping that it doesn't melt too quickly and cause the river to flood again. We don't need any more rain!

River is Down, Snow is Up!

2009-03-31T14:24:00.007-05:00

We have snow! Lots of snow! It is very wet and heavy. I've heard 20 inches in the Breckenridge area and it is still snowing. The kids didn't have school today and Emily wanted to go to a friends. She said she would walk, but we didn't think that was a very good idea. Alex cleaned out the shop doors so we could get the snowmobiles out, and he was stuck three times within 5 minutes. He finally figured out that you must lean to turn, and just keep going. Below he is driving in the ditch (on some high ground that we know has no water in it). It is very hard to see because the snow is so wet it melts and sticks to your shield, so we decided to quit until it is done snowing.

Pink Gun Works!

2009-03-31T00:23:00.003-05:00

Em shot her gun for the first time yesterday, and as you can see below, it works.

Alex's First Snow Goose!

2009-03-30T23:39:00.004-05:00

Alex shot his first snow today after school. After he shot the first goose, he called his friend Caleb, and Alex got another goose.

Sam's Trophy

2009-03-30T23:33:00.007-05:00

The first picture is of Sam's Pinewood Derby car for Cub Scouts and the trophy he won. The second picture is of an assignment he did in January. Goals are a good thing!

River Takes Duck Boat!

2009-03-24T23:35:00.005-05:00

We woke Monday morning to a full rain gauge (2.04 inch) and a rapidly rising river. The kids wanted to go for a boat ride on Sunday and we pulled it up the bank and flipped it over. The river level was actually going down so I thought it was high enough. With all the rain, the river came up over two feet overnight and when I checked things out in the morning, the duck boat was gone! Luckily it only floated across to the snow/ice (see top photo). Alex and I took the canoe over and reclaimed our duck boat (even the oars were still under the boat).

Sandbagging!

2009-03-24T23:24:00.005-05:00

With all the rain and more predicted we decided t0 sandbag the south side of our addition yesterday. We had several friends and family help and were quickly done. Thank you everyone for your help!

A friend in the window!

2009-03-24T23:13:00.006-05:00

As we started laying the sandbags we noticed a muskrat in the window. I used the shovel to scoop/throw him out. You can see in the video below that he rushed up and thanked me afterward!

The River Crest

2009-03-24T22:59:00.005-05:00

The river crested at 21.44 ft at 4:00 this morning (about 6 inches lower than 1997). We received only 0.2 inch of rain last night, compared to the 1-2 inch predicted. Our prayers were certainly answered!

The Sun Comes Out!

2009-03-24T22:40:00.003-05:00

Campbell Band at NDSCS

2009-03-20T00:52:00.006-05:00

The Campbell band had a concert at NDSCS tonight. They sounded very good. The first video is of the concert band and the second one is of the Jazz band.

Looking Good!

2009-03-20T00:31:00.002-05:00

Karen was on a billboard in Wahpeton in February. I am embarassed to say I never even saw it during the daylight. I did see it a couple of times in the evening, but the lights were never on it. I wanted to get her picture looking up at it, and we even planned to do it a couple times after church, but we either forgot the camera, or forgot to go take the picture. This is a picture my Dad took. She is getting bigger every time she is on a billboard. Next time it will probably be only her eyes!

Shrek, Spike and the Shamrock! Happy St. Pat's Day!

2009-03-17T23:39:00.008-05:00

We had the annual St. Patrick's Day party this weekend at Karen's uncle Tim's. The third picture is of Em's Shamrock hair. The bottom picture is the meal we had tonight for supper. Of course everything was green!

Snow to Water

2009-03-17T23:17:00.006-05:00

The top picture is of Alex taken last Friday. The bottom picture was taken today and the X in the center is where the snowmobile was sitting in the top picture. The temperature has been in the 40's since Friday and the river has already come up 4 to 5 feet. The video below is of Alex driving on the river when there was just a little water on the ice Friday. It looks like snowmobiling is over for the year. Alex already wants to get the four wheelers out.

Snowmobiles

2009-03-03T21:51:00.006-06:00

Jeff and Becky came over last weekend and brought their little Mini Z snowmobile over. Sophie and their son Ezra had a blast driving it around! They also brought their big snowmobiles and Jeff and I helped get the kids unstuck (is that a word??) many, many times. It was a very fun day!

Preschool Science Day

2009-03-03T21:42:00.004-06:00

Karen and I went to Science Day at Sophie's preschool. The kids loved seeing how many pencils they could stick through a plastic bag with water in it, and making silly putty out of glue and liquid starch. There were several other "Experiments", but the kids liked the messy ones the best.

Dr. Seuss, We Love You!

2009-03-03T20:49:00.006-06:00

At the Campbell-Tintah school the elementary students celebrate Dr. Seuss's Birthday each year. Parents are invited to come and read to their child. Below is video of Sam reading to Grandma JoAnne and the students singing. Sam and Emily are both in the group. Right after the song was over Emily and several of her classmates came running over saying "Please put that on the blog!" or was it "Please DON'T put that on the blog!" I just can't remember which it was.

Monster Jam

2009-02-22T21:14:00.008-06:00

We went to the Monster Truck show at the FargoDome with the Cub Scouts. Both Grave Digger and Maximum Destruction were there. It is fun and very LOUD!

Spirit Week at Campbell

2009-02-22T20:38:00.006-06:00

Rebel Spirit Day!

Circus Character Day!

Opposite Sex Day!

Rock and Roll Day!

Skiing at Andes Tower Hills

2009-02-22T20:00:00.009-06:00

This is part of the crew that went skiing for 4-H. It was a great day.

. Josie, Jayden and Em

It was Josie's first time skiing and Jayden's second time. They both did great!

Snowmobile Fun!

2009-02-22T19:38:00.005-06:00

Dylan, Eli, Tyler, Caleb, Emily and Alex

Big Air Alex!

The kids had a blast snowmobiling with some friends today. The boys loved going up the riverbanks (see video below)!

Dolly Surprises Mom!

2009-02-18T18:06:00.007-06:00

My sister Pam (also called Dolly) flew home from Alaska to surprise Mom on her 70th birthday. Karen picked her up at the airport and Mom thought she was going out for a birthday lunch with her sister-in-law Sandy. We all surprised her at lunch (see Mom's reaction below)! For once, Mom was speechless. Pam gave her a book she had made (see above), but the real surprise was that Dolly was here. Pam stayed for almost a week. What a great surprise! Thanks for coming home Dolly. We all loved seeing you, and I know Mom was especially touched that you made the trip.

Basketball Season Ends.

2009-02-16T16:14:00.005-06:00

Alex's basketball season ended last week. The team only won one game, bet they had a lot of fun. Below is a video of the end of the play where Alex stole the ball at half court, drove to the basket and made the layup.

Loving (and missing) Owen!

2009-02-16T15:51:00.005-06:00

Sophie loved helping with Owen this week when Pam and Owen came from Alaska to surprise Mom on her 70th birthday. She has always liked babies, but she REALLY liked to help Owen. Pam and Owen returned to Alaska today and when we were leaving Sophie had to go back in twice to give Owen "One more hug" because she was so distraught over him leaving. When we got home Karen asked Sophie what she liked best about having Pam and Owen home and she said "I liked carrying Owen, and holding Owen, and sleeping by Owen, but it's hard to talk about Mom (as she teared up again)"

Sophie Skiing

2009-02-07T00:26:00.005-06:00

We went skiing at Wild Mountain a couple weeks ago with Joan and Wade. As you can see, we are missing one kid. Sam got the stomach flu so he stayed home with Grandma Janet. Pam and Tom gave us a family gift of a ski pass for Chistmas. Sam was so bummed that he couldn't go that we did not use the pass and told him we would go another time. Sophie had a blast. She started out skiing with the harness to help her, but by the end she was going on her own (See video below).

The Price of Beauty!

2009-02-06T23:50:00.003-06:00

Em had Jayden stay over last weekend and they put this "stuff" on their faces.

Alex Basketball

2009-02-06T23:30:00.004-06:00

Below is video of Alex scoring a basket. Alex's team won by three points tonight.

Cheerleader Em!

2009-02-06T23:18:00.003-06:00

The Rebels Jr. Cheerleaders have been practicing for a couple of weeks and they showed their stuff tonight at halftime of the Boys Varsity basketball game. They had a lot of fun! They did such a good job the boys beat Wyndmere!

Em's New Glasses

2009-01-25T15:48:00.001-06:00

Sopher's New Do

2009-01-25T15:33:00.004-06:00

Christmas Concert

2009-01-19T21:59:00.003-06:00

Snowbank Jump!

2009-01-04T21:52:00.005-06:00

The kids had fun sliding on (and jumping off) the riverbank last week.

A Pink Gun

2009-01-04T00:15:00.005-06:00

Emily got a pink shotgun for Christmas! See her reaction below.

Playstation with Grandma

2008-12-15T00:13:00.003-06:00

Sam loved showing Grandma how to play a Lego Star Wars game.

Sophie Field Trip

2008-12-15T00:03:00.003-06:00

Grandma went on a field trip with Sophie to Three Rivers Gymnastics. Sophie loved playing in the foam pit and hanging out with Grandma.

Beginning Band

2008-12-14T18:05:00.003-06:00

Emily had her first band concert on December 1st. She started playing the end of August. The band is 5th graders and a couple new 6th graders. Each of them gets to do a solo (see below).

Alex and a mink.

2008-12-14T17:36:00.005-06:00

Alex caught his first mink about two weeks ago.

Dance and Dessert

2008-12-14T17:27:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday Em was in Dance and Dessert. We watch the girls dance and then we get dessert.

Santa Days

2008-12-14T16:55:00.005-06:00

We also had Santa Days in Campbell last Saturday.

Sundogs over Campbell

2008-12-14T16:52:00.002-06:00

Time to get a tree.

2008-12-14T16:24:00.005-06:00

We picked out our Christmas Tree yesterday. We always get a big (10 - 12 f00t tall) short-needled tree. This year we had to cut the top off a 25 ft tree to find one we liked. It wasn't quite as full as we normally get, but I guess there is more room for ornaments that way. The weather was perfect for cutting a tree (20 degrees, no wind and a little snow). I am glad I had my whole family with to get a tree. I get more requests to get a fake tree each year, but I still love a real one.

Playing in the Blizzard!

2008-12-14T15:39:00.005-06:00

We are in the middle of a blizzard! We bought two snowmobiles from Karen's cousin Nathan. Emily thought it would be fun to snowmobile in a blizzard! Alex thought it would be fun too, so the three of us braved the elements. The weathermen say this is the worst blizzard since 1997. When we came in, the temperature was 12 degrees below zero with a wind chill of 35 below. Pretty much everything is cancelled and the kids are hoping the storm lasts long enough to cancel school tomorrow. I have heard we have gotten 15 inches of snow. I don't know how they can measure the snowfall when all the snow doesn't seem to be falling down, but rather flying horizontally.

Dad, I Need a Hoop

2008-06-29T11:56:00.003-05:00

It is a little difficult to practice basketball without a basket, so we decided to put in a concrete pad and basketball hoop. Errow had a great idea and we put in a tetherball pole also. What can be more fun than hitting a ball as hard as you can at your friends and siblings.

Getting Ready

2008-06-29T11:51:00.005-05:00

I dug out some of the gravel in front of the garage where we are putting the hoop and

then Errow and Frank put up the forms and filled it back in gravel to get a 4 inch concrete pad.

Pouring the pad

2008-06-29T11:48:00.001-05:00

We poured the concrete pad on May 23.

2008-06-29T11:41:00.003-05:00

Handprints

2008-06-29T11:36:00.004-05:00

Of course, we had to put the kids handprints in the concrete. It was the last day of school so we took Alex and Em out of school for about an hour so that we could aways look at their handprints.

Sam's First Shot

2008-06-29T11:12:00.003-05:00

Sam made his first shot at our new hoop (Alex and Dad made their first shots too). It took quite awhile to get the hoop up as it did not come with all the parts. We did get a pad for the post out of the deal, maybe it will prevent an injury. The kids have really enjoyed the hoop. We still need to get the free throw and 3 point lines painted. One of these days.

A Few May Flowers

2008-05-26T00:21:00.005-05:00

The dahlia is the one I gave Karen for Mother's Day. The apple trees are in full bloom and I didn't see a single bee on the trees. It is kind of scary how few bees are around anymore. I hope we get some apples. The tulips are actually my Mom's, and since she is in Alaska visiting Pam I thought she would like to see them.

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-05-26T00:05:00.004-05:00

Here are some pics from Sam's Graduation. There were seven kids in his class.

Sam's Little Solo

2008-05-25T23:51:00.001-05:00

Sam the Policeman

2008-05-25T23:25:00.002-05:00

Sam said he wants to be a Policeman, but Dad wasn't quick enough to get it.

Sam Video

2008-05-25T22:46:00.002-05:00

Taylor the Turtle!

2008-05-20T07:38:00.006-05:00

I found this baby Painted Turtle a couple days ago and I thought the kids would like to see it. Little did I know that Sam and Emily would adopt him/her. They named it Taylor. You can see by the last photo that he has quite a smorgasbord to dine on. His main food now is Turtle Pellets from WalMart. I wonder how long he will hang out with us.

In Memory of Grandma Addy!

2008-05-11T23:51:00.003-05:00

We planted a flowering crab tree in memory of Grandma Addy today. We picked a tree with white flowers because it will remind us of angels.

God Bless Grandma Addy

2008-05-11T23:24:00.003-05:00

Grandma loved the rosary and gave each of the kids one, so we said part of the rosary in her memory. I know she would have loved it!

Boating On The Rabbitt

2008-05-11T23:19:00.003-05:00

The kids wanted to go for a boat ride today. Alex and Em took the canoe and the rest of us took the duck boat.

Captain Sam

2008-05-11T23:05:00.003-05:00

Sam gave Mom a ride in the jon boat.

Big Blue Birdhouse

2008-05-11T22:58:00.002-05:00

We put Karen's birdhouse up on the birch stump today. It was a beautiful day, high temp was 63, sunny and very little wind.

Pretty Yellow Flowers!

2008-05-11T22:17:00.003-05:00

What Mother doesn't love flowers!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T08:36:00.005-05:00

The kids made Mom breakfast in bed this morning.

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there, especially my Mom. I Love You. Paul

State Capitol

2008-05-10T21:04:00.006-05:00

Alex's Sixth Grade class toured the capitol on Friday. The class picture is by the horses on the roof. The chandelier was lit which only happens a couple days each year. They light it on Statehood day (May 11), but since this year is the Sesquicentennial (150 years) they lit it for the entire weekend. The last two pictures are of a flag carried in the civil war. The last picture shows how the flagpole was fixed with a belt after it broke from being shot.

Science Museum

2008-05-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

The class watched a movie about the Alps at the Science Museum on the Omni IMAX. The first picture is of the projector with a small amount of film still going in. It starts with huges rolls of film stacked up on the left side. The second picture is of Alex's favorite exhibit - the mummy.

Fort Snelling

2008-05-10T20:46:00.005-05:00

Alex's sixth grade class went to Fort Snelling on Friday. He enjoyed learning about the history of the Fort. Notice the number of stars on the flag is 24. This is before Minnesota was a state. Minnesota was the 32nd state.

From White to Green!

2008-05-04T16:31:00.005-05:00

What a difference a week makes! After church Alex wanted to get the mower out. These pictures are in the same area that the video from last week of Alex falling off the 4 wheeler was taken. You can still see a little snow in the background of the first picture, but I don't think it will be around long because the temperature right now is 68 degrees. Hopefully, spring is here to stay.

Nate and Megan's Wedding!

2008-05-04T15:44:00.003-05:00

Sam and Sophie were in Nate Barth and Megan Ellingson's wedding yesterday. Sophie was a flower girl and Sam was the ring bearer. They both did a very good job! Sophie came down and sat with us through most of the ceremony, but Sam stood up front the whole time. At the dance the kids had a blast. Grandma Janet even got Alex out on the dance floor.

Still Dropping Flowers Video

2008-05-04T15:39:00.003-05:00

Sophie was still dropping flowers on her way out after the ceremony. Nobody told her she should, but nobody told her she shouldn't either!

Sam and Sophie Dancing

2008-05-04T15:28:00.002-05:00

Band Concert

2008-05-04T15:12:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of the Campbell-Tintah band concert. Alex plays trombone in both the concert band and jazz band.

Campbell band video

2008-05-04T10:13:00.002-05:00

Band Video 2

2008-05-04T10:01:00.004-05:00

18 Inches of Snow

2008-04-26T20:15:00.004-05:00

We got about 18 inches of snow last night! What a mess! I put the snow blower back on to clear the driveway. I guess we won't be planting for awhile.

Playing in the Snow!

2008-04-26T19:59:00.002-05:00

The Snow Wins!

2008-04-26T19:50:00.002-05:00

High Flyers!

2008-04-10T00:02:00.002-05:00

Cheap Thrills!

2008-04-09T23:52:00.002-05:00

2008-04-09T23:39:00.003-05:00

Alex and Emily thought it was great fun jumping off the garage roof into a snow pile. The snow is almost gone, but they are predicting another snowstorm for tomorrow night into Friday.

Will Spring Ever Come?

2008-04-08T00:51:00.003-05:00

We woke this morning to 5 inches of new snow. I guess it could be worse, Bemidji got over two feet. The ice is breaking up on the river, so spring must be coming.