By Jamie Rieger

OK, I think it would be pretty safe to say that people are getting rather tired of the spring that has been bestowed upon us this year.
Rain, wind, snow, and cool temperatures over the past couple months has been relentless and unnerving to say the least.
Crop producers are having a difficult time trying to seed their fields and those who have been able to have been forced to seed the high areas first and wait for the low-lying areas to dry out. Many have also been forced to change the crops they are planting altogether to those with a shorter growing season.
Urbanites who typically plant their gardens in May, have been sitting with their bedding plants and seeds waiting to go into the ground and watching for the skies to clear up. The first sign of sunshine and many greenthumbs were taking advantage of the brief moment to get their gardens planted.
Then, there is the campers. May long weekend is unofficially the kick-off to camping season and many folks were anxious to get out to their favourite campsites, pitch their tents or park their trailers, light a campfire and enjoy the fresh outdoors for a few days.
Instead of sunny days of hiking, fishing, and participating in other outdoor activities, this year, May long weekend campers spent the days huddled in their trailers playing cards or packing up their tents and returning to the city after snow and rain once again pounded southeast Alberta.
Sporting events have been postponed or canceled altogether, leaving families to sit in front of their TVs watching movies when they would rather be outdoors.
People in this region should really not be too surprised. It was not the first time snow and miserable weather ruined May long weekend festivities and last year, it was going into June when the are saw the last of the snow before the heat of summer arrived.
What has been unusual this year, though, has been the sheer relentlessness of the weather. With back to back to back storms and rainy days, people are just downright weary of it all. As we move into June and the weatherman giving some encouraging forecasts, summer can be just right around the corner.
But for good measure, I have yet to pack away the snow shovel and winter boots. Just in case!