Some years ago, in my teaching career at Tomah High School, Spring arrived, and the students and I decided to list all the signs of Spring. Each class period could only name one sign of Spring. It only took a few seconds of the class hour and extended to about a week. Six classes a day multiplied by five days gave us about 30+ signs.

Many involved the weather and seasons changing:  rain with snow melting, mud and potholes, warmer weather, ice going out of Lake Tomah, fresh smells in the country, and grass turning green.

Some had to do with the calendar; baseball, softball, track, tennis starts, end of alternate parking, the sun up earlier and later, Ground Hog’s Day, the IRS and taxes on April 15, St. Mary’s Carnival, St. Patrick’s and St. Joseph’s Day, Lent, March Madness-basketball, Prom, A & W is open, golf courses open, the Fire Danger sign at Ranger Station changes, barges on the Mississippi, Spring Sale at Hardware Hank, and weight limits on bridges, Daylight Savings Time starts, and garden shops at stores are set up.

A few concerned things people do: Spring cleaning, joggers and bicyclist out, people get rowdy, senioritis, tank tops and shorts being worn, kiddies in strollers, grass fires, and ads for garden stuff.

Some related to plants and animals; skunks are out, robins have returned, cardinals start to sing, asparagus up, geese going North, pussy willows, road kill and tire retreads on the highway, walleye fishing, red wing blackbirds diving at you, dandelions coming up, birds building nests, tulips coming up, dogs are friskier, and those fragrant lilacs are blooming.

After a long Wisconsin winter, don’t we all look forward to the coming of Spring? New life, new beginnings, and a promise of a pleasant summer ahead.