We asked some of you how you know when winter is finally over. Well, you told us (and in one case, even wrote a poem):

"You know it's spring in Concord when your parking spot isn't filled with snow, people actually stop to gaze in store windows, and Madeline's sells out of plain croissants by 9 a.m. because everybody walked there that morning."

"I know it is spring in Concord when I walk by White Park and I hear the spring peepers in the pond and they turn the fountain back on! Such a great sound! It is spring in Concord when the forsythias start to bloom. I know it's spring when I walk down Main Street and pedestrians are taking the time to hang out on the sidewalk, connect with neighbors and window shop."

"Spring means riding my bicycle! I start on April 1 and usually ride until the end of October. I learned to ride as a child growing up on Iron Works Road. The state farms were operating, and the dirt road (to Clinton Street) was called the cinder path and if I fell there I would get all scraped up. It was a big day when I was allowed to bike to Rollins Park. It's a new year and I'm ready to go again, both around town and out on my nature rides. I'm 50 years old now and the thrill is still there!"

"Spring is here when the golf courses open, the tennis nets are put up and Summer Freeze re-opens."

"First sign of spring? The first exuberant call of the red-winged blackbird."

"Here's one sign of Spring in Concord: The Concord High lacrosse and baseball teams hold their spring training - however, their practices are in the parking lot at Everett Arena because Memorial Field is too muddy (I suspect that will be the case again this year)."

"The true sound of spring in the South End is the sound of the 'peepers.' They are music to my ears and a sure sign spring has sprung!"




"In New Hampshire, I know spring is here in late May when the lilies of the valley bloom and my whole yard smells wonderful; when there is no more snow lurking in the shadows; when I no longer wear a coat with mittens or gloves stashed in the pockets; when I forget my coat somewhere because it was warm enough not to need it on my way home."
"This morning, my girlfriend changed into her 'spring colored' purse, hoping she could push it up a little earlier."

"My favorite sign of spring is when my Red Sox tickets arrive."

"I truly know that spring is here when I see a robin. Granted, I saw my first robin of '08 last Thursday in 20 degree weather with a nasty wind chill, but even that sighting gives me a little kick in my step that surely spring is not that far away."

"Spring in Concord, New Hampshire: when you can finally see over the snowbanks, when you hear the traffic pick up and the motorcycles are out, and when you can open doors and windows to get fresh air in your home with out worrying the furnace is going to turn on."

"When the maple sap begins to flow (as it did yesterday) and we tap our trees, followed a few days later by the smoky, maple smell of sap being converted to syrup over a blazing wood fire. Okay, I have to stop now because I'm getting too excited about my favorite season and I know it won't be here for a long time."

“Spring,” by Susan Proulx

Don't worry about the puddles of mud
The stains in your rugs will blend
Focus on the soon-to-come buds
The sun will eventually send

Don't expect March to bring Spring
That's a lost bleeping bleep
Hope May will eventually sing
Some sense into your gardens buried deep