Baseball season is here, and even though it is chilly, we gather our troops and head off for the baseball field. Everyone who has a child involved in the sport knows that this time of year is very changeable when it comes to the weather. You have to be prepared for all sorts of weather: cold, icy wind, rain, hot sun, or perhaps even hail. Today was no exception. Unusually for Wenatchee, we had rain during the first game of the season. Mind you, it wasn't torrential at all; I didn't even take an umbrella. It was more like a 'chiri miri' which is what we say in Spain for a very light, misty rain. There are some comforts at the ball park, however. One of the traditional ones that springs to mind is the hot dog. It is an 'all american' thing to eat, even though it's origins probably lie in one of the germanic countries of Europe. There is just something about the smell of the warm hot dogs wafting through the air, mixing with the fresh smell of grass. When you've been sitting on a bleacher (which is the american term for the set of benches), and you start to get a little chilly, the smell of hot dogs is enough to prompt a little trip to the concession stand. I volunteer occasionally to help at the concession stand. It is definitely part of the American culture. The hot dogs are turning on a mechanical warmer, there is popcorn popping away in the popcorn maker. There are slurpies of different flavors to drink, and candies to buy. The last time I helped out, I had a smile on my face because it reminded me of some of the typical American films that I had seen when I was young. Boys would come up to me with baseball caps on and dirty knees from having played; they would usually ask for candies or a slurpy. Then the parents would come, asking for popcorn, coffee to warm up, and of course hot dogs. Plain, with relish, or just with ketchup, they would sell out so quickly that we would have to turn people away with a , "Sorry, we'll have to get some more tomorrow." It's all part of the experience of being involved in baseball, and, thinking about it, we probably have only another ten years of it left, because our youngest son is seven. There is a lot to observe at a baseball game, especially if you are a foreigner. I'm sure I will be telling you of other things I notice in the ball park in the future.

Grammar notes.

Expressions: to gather the troops, changeable, to spring to mind, to prompt.

1. Come on, get the children ready. We'll gather the troops and go to grandma's house for lunch.

2. He is so changeable: one minute he's in a good mood, and the next minute he's grumpy.

3. I'm trying to think of a good restaurant to go to, but nothing springs to mind.

4. Seeing my neighbor digging prompted me to get my garden tools out.