Mud and buds and farmers. And yes, it has arrived. -Allyson Wendt
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From Brattleboro's own Rosenschontz: “Robins return, all the birds sing.” -Paul Burton
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I still have to go with seeing a robin. I have not seen one up in Richmond yet, but we're going to have temperatures in the 60s next week! Yay! -Nancy Gates Gauthier
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Flocks of robins plucking worms from the ground, and the first strike of a brook trout. -Christopher Campany
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It's ineffable - that moment when, through the sound of water dripping and the smell of earth thawing, and the sight of that golden green Robert Frost wrote about, all combine to express a new, life-filled energy. -Susie Webster-Toleno
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The smell of a skunk (especially road kills thereof)! -Terry Martin
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For me, there are two: first, the peepers, I agree. But officially in this 1880s house, the upstairs bathroom won't stay open without a doorstop from November something-or-other (variable first day of fall here) until some vague point in the spring, after which it's OK again. I'll report back when spring actually arrives. Current betting here in Westminster is between May 1 and 15. -Jim Matteau
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Opening windows, even if only an inch. -Laura Austan
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The birds. When it's over 40 every day. When I have a sudden urge to clean out every closet in my house! -Robin Rieske
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Woodcocks “peenting” at dusk. -Christine Dorsey McGowan
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The smell of spring. -Amelia Kinney
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When the snow is gone enough that I can safely get to the laundry line and hang out the bedsheets. Oh, that glorious spring smell they carry! -Fran Lynggaard Hansen
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Sun, birds, and I feel new energy! -Eileen McCusker Rauch
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For me, it's hearing the peepers. -Beverly Greer Langeveld
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Peepers. -Jan Freeman
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Peeper frogs. -Wendy M. Levy
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Tree frogs at the pond today! -Leslie Sullivan Sachs
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Peepers. Nuff said. -Allison Teague
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Top of the Hill opens, and Chelsea Royal opens the ice cream stand. -Leslie Sullivan Sachs
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Top of the Hill Grill opens. -Ellen Kaye
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You can smell it in the air. Really. -Joyce Marcel
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It's a quiet moment when you just know that things are gonna be all right. Sometimes it happens when you spot your first pink flamingo sitting as still as a statue on someone's lawn. -Dorothy Grover Read
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Not till I see the first grain moth on the kitchen ceiling. -Paula Melton
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When I hear the first geese over the house, when it's time to collect the sap, when the fishing shanties have to come off the ice, when the snow melts away from the house and finally when it starts to smell like spring (dirt and manure). One last thought: when Chelsea Royal opens the creemee stand! Yes, it is spring. -Jane Wheeler
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When the Christmas tree unfreezes from the garden and can blow into the neighbor's yard. -Phil Innes
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When buckets appear, as if by magic, on my maple trees. -Charlene Wakefield
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I could go on and on and on....
• When you go to let the dog out in your PJs and you don't mind standing on the deck in bare feet.
• When Agway and the Co-op start putting out things like bags of composted manure and onion starts.
• When you see the first geese flying overhead and your heart feels like it's going to burst.
• When you go outside in your bare feet while there's still snow on the ground, because your body wants to celebrate the palpable joy in the air.
• When the snow melts and you are horrified to see how much your dog pooped all winter!
-Monica MacNeille
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Dawn blooming a bit earlier, sunset a bit later. Green sprouts pushing up through the dirt. Seasonal birds returning and singing before sunrise. Misty, morning fog that smells of the Earth. Constellations changing position. Windows open to unleash the breeze inside. The dog sniffing for long, snow-covered favorite spots. Spring vegetables and fruits. And opening day - play ball! -Dianne Howard
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Mud. Muddy muddy mud mud. -Alexander B. Potter