Patriots Day, 2019

In most of America, today is Tax Day.

In Boston, it’s Patriots Day.

They don’t always coincide. But if Tax Day is a Monday, then it’s Patriots Day.

For a lot of reasons, this is one of my favorite holidays.

It’s mostly ours. Only a couple of other states observe it, but we’re the ones with Paul Revere, The Battle of Lexington Green, Concord Hymn. Wisconsin celebrates it, but, come on, Cheeseheads, whatcha got?

It’s somewhat springy. Kinda sorta. Sure, we could have a blizzard. And, like last year, we could have whipping winds, drenching rains, chilly temps.But the magnolias and forsythias are starting to bloom. Out front, there are a couple of daffs and grape hyacinths. The swan boats are back in operation. And there’s a tiny bit of hope in the air.

It’s Marathon Day. Folks are here from all over the world, and starting a few days before, you begin to see the runners and their families walking around. Even if they don’t have the latest Boston Marathon jacket on – each year’s a different color; this year it’s cyan with yellow piping – you can tell the runners. Lean, wearing trainers, checking out the finish line by the Boston Public Library. You can just tell. Last year, the weather was miserable. I have a friend who’s run Boston 37 times, and he said that last year’s weather was the worst he’d experienced.

It’s a morning home game for the Red Sox. Last year, the weather was sufficiently nasty that the game was postponed. (Make up played on a lovely evening in May.) This was disappointing, as I had tickets, and this is always a really fun game. Fenway Park is not far from the Marathon route, and on the way out, you see runners coming in. Not the potential winners. They’re long past. But good runners nonetheless. This year, the conditions are supposed to be poor, but so far (I’m writing this on Friday) it doesn’t look bad enough to call things off. Light rain, warmish (in the 60’s), maybe a mini-thunder storm in the late innings. Again, I have tickets. With luck, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., the thunder and rain will hold off. And the Red Sox, who are off to a rather abysmal start, will pull out a W.

It’s also the anniversary of the Marathon Bombing. This is, of course, not a reason to enjoy the day. But it’s absolutely worth remembering. Six years in the rearview mirror. Hard to believe. Here’s what I had to say about things last year.

And here’s what I had to say on my first Patriots Day as a blogger.

To those who celebrate this glorious, weird little holiday: Happy Patriots Day.