'In like a lion' -- the Maine version

By JDS/Piscataquis Observer
As the calendar flipped from February to March, an old saying popped in to my head that pretty much summed up the mess motorists faced on Monday morning.
“In like a lion, out like a lamb.”
It’s an old time weather phrase that means the month starts off roaring with the final traces of winter and ends with a peaceful transition to spring.
The saying lived up to its name, as the region was pummeled again by snow for the second Monday in a row. The snow was so bad that it cancelled school for yet another day this winter, keeping elementary students from likely art projects of making little faces of a lion and lamb out of construction paper and crayons while they learned about the phrase.
While the line is cute and kind of works, it really doesn’t describe the season well, nor does it fit the region well. I mean, what does a lion have to do with snow and cold temperatures? For that matter, what does a lamb and mud have to do with each other too?
I’m fairly certain the king of the jungle would be smart enough to leave the region if that was the case, and lambs tend to stay out of the mud and keep their wool somewhat whitish.
That’s why I suggest a new line that Mainers can take stock in to describe the wild weather of March: “In like a black bear, out like a moose.” Black bears roar — well, okay they make noise and can be frightening, so you can take stock in that. Also, bears deal with winter better than we do — they sleep right through this mess. That way, there’s no need for snowplows, sand, salt, fuel oil or even snow days for school. Now only if we could find a way move football season, Christmas and ice fishing to summer time, then maybe this has a possibility — however slight — of working.
As for the end of March, a moose definitely fits better than a lamb for this weather analogy. First off, moose can be temperamental, much like the weather can be. I’ve seen plenty of wicked snowstorms roll through at the end of the month, some to the point where I thought as a kid that the saying “In like a lion, out like a lamb” was meant for April. Secondly, moose play in the mud a whole heck of a lot more than lambs do. They also are more majestic than a freaking lamb.
However, the main reason both these animals would fit the analogy better in Maine than lions and lambs do is simple — they are Maine’s animals. Just look at the University of Maine’s mascot and the state’s unofficial inland mascot (the lobster being the coastal mascot).
In like a black bear, out like a moose. I think it works pretty good.
Now if the University of Maine men’s hockey team could just have as much fight as Mother Nature seems to be putting up lately, maybe the Black Bears would win a game or two in the Hockey East tournament and make the NCAAs. That would make it all the more fitting.
Now that I think of it, I think we’re getting the worse end of the deal with that one. I’d take a good ice hockey team now more than more snow.