Those ears… so much mulch in those furry ears… Credit: Cathy Salustri

Owning a long-haired dachshund who loves to roll in the grass means you get a lot of looks from people suggesting you never groom your dog. What they don’t see are the hours you spend combing matts out of her ears, the super-gentle shampoo you make for her so it doesn’t irritate her skin, or the way you plead with her to stop rolling, for the love of god. But I can’t blame her — this time of year, it feels so damn good outside, it’s all I can do not to join her on her back, squirming around like I don’t have a care in the world.

Friday

Aside from the judgmental looks from dog-lovers and struggling to comb out Calypso's ears, springtime also means there’s a ton of stuff to do, like kayaking our rivers and jumping around in our springs, but before you do, take yourself up to Tarpon for a gorgeous, sobering look under the crust of our balmy state with AQUIFERious at Leepa-Rattner, then swing by Replay for some unlimited pinball. I mean, it's pinball, which is the most fun you can have with your clothes on, really. Over Tampa way you'll find the debut of the Illsol art space, and St. Pete side you can catch Children of a Lesser God at the Palladium.

Saturday

On Saturday, Tampa's the place to be, either at Tampa Pride or the Bay Area Renaissance Festival (it’s craft beer weekend, because what’s more authentically medieval than a sour IPA?), but St. Pete is also the place to be with Pass the Plate Spring Cookoff at the Florida Holocaust Museum and Family Day at the Morean (and the chance to see Fresh Squeezed). You can also get some fantastic deals on clean and unclaimed clothes with the Sun Country sale benefitting PARC.

Not to be missed tonight: Maestro Anton Coppola returns to the Straz to conduct his ending to Puccini’s Turandot.

Sunday

Take it easy on Sunday — maybe after a leisurely jazz brunch at Boulevard Burgers & Tap House, check out one of the matinees worth your time, like Jobsite's Skull in Connemara or American Stage's Informed Consent.

So get out there and roll in that grass. Time’s a-wastin’.

This article appears in Mar 23-30, 2017.