For years, spring in our town was
heralded by Leon and Jo Martin, who
owned the Dairy Queen. Every year,
after their winter sojourn to Florida,
they would post the words “Now Hir-
ing” on their sign. I would walk past,
see the sign, see Leon and Jo ready-
ing for their spring opening, and feel
winter’s icy veil lift from around me.
It was as accurate an indication of
spring as any calendar, and when they
died and their children sold the DairyQueen to an out-of-town outfit who
kept it open year-round, it threw off
our town’s circadian rhythms some-
thing terrible. We’re still not sure
when spring begins.
Well, that’s not entirely accurate.
When the implement store on the
west edge of town, where Johnston’s
IGA grocery store used to be, stops
selling snowplows and starts selling
lawn mowers, that’s a pretty good sign
winter’s grip has loosened.very year, I circle the vernal equinox on our refrig-
erator calendar so the first day of spring won’t slip
by unnoticed. I’m not sure why I depend upon the
calendar to announce spring’s arrival, since it has so
little bearing on the matter. Spring comes when it’s
good and ready; sometimes well before its appointed
day, sometimes well after.86 april 2020