It’s that time of year when we join the bears in stumbling out of hibernation only to realize that, quite suddenly, everything has to be done. 

The mower blade needs to be sharpened. 

The sagging roof needs to be replaced. 

The rotting tree needs to come down. 

And so the list goes on. 

All the things we found so easy to put off when it was too cold to feel like doing much of anything more than sitting on the couch with the remote and a cup of hot cocoa now feel like emergencies. 

Here’s the problem: They’re emergencies to everyone, and the people who can have the solution are absolutely inundated with calls this time of year. 

Most businesses have their seasons when the onslaught comes in from all those who have put things off until the very last minute. For tax preparers, it’s from March to April. For photographers like me, it tends to come in the fall when parents realize their seniors need their photos taken and families see holiday cards on the horizon. 

For many of the county’s contractors, spring is the time when all the calls that could have been made in the winter are suddenly placed, and everyone expects to be put at the front of the line. 

As the snow uncovers new disasters left in our yards, and we all find that springtime energy to get things done, it’s worth remembering that back in kindergarten our teachers taught us how to line up quietly behind the leader. 

And while we’re practicing patience as those roofers, painters, landscapers and mechanics get to us, we might want to do a quick review of all that’s coming ahead this year so we can be better prepared. 

You know what they say about the early bird, don’t you? They get to be at the front of the line.