The Start of April

Yes I know it is April 2nd and not April fools day but did you ever think about what an interesting way to begin a month.  Imagine beginning a month on a joke?  Did you ever wonder where this tradition came from? Why is it okay to “fool” people on this particular day of the year?  Did you know that although many countries in the world share this tradition, the origin of it is still quite disputable.  Some say it began as a means of fooling people as to the beginning of the real year while others see it as connected to the crucifixion of Jesus.  Nevertheless, it is a time of hoaxes and trickery.  You can amuse yourself by going to the site called "April Fools Zone” and see what cool pranks you could have played on your friends. 

Of course, many of us are perhaps more concerned about our taxes then “fooling” around.  For some, April is when the IRS must be paid.  If you are like I am, you start trying to itemize all of your receipts and keep your fingers crossed that you will not owe the government any money.  Karen and I like to think of our “tax refund” as a kind of a down payment on our vacation for the upcoming year.  No refund, no vacation. 

April also means showers and flowers.  As I run along the trails I can find many wildflowers blooming now. Yesterday I found something called an Anemone Americana, see above picture.  They were all over the trails and very interesting. Karen picked one for me to identify and I found it on a website in about 2 minutes. Amazing the power of the web to help us find anything these days.  I also came home with a total of eight ticks to Karen's two ticks..  Despite checking before we left the trail, I found four inside my shirt when I came home and another two inside my pants.  Are they getting smarter and sneakier or did my six months in Arizona allow me to forget how to spot them? We finally just tossed all of our clothes in a pile and put them in the washing machine.  

What does the month of April mean for you?  Are you a trickster or do you habitually get fooled? Have you ever played an April fools joke on someone?  Are you done with your taxes yet or do you wait until the last minute?  Do you think you will get a refund?  What will you do with it when it comes?