Just as darkness creeps up on us in November, daylight slowly and imperceptibly extends itself morning and evening. I hated going to work in darkness and leaving work for home in darkness. It came as a surprise that leaving the newspaper after five in the evening daylight remained and then I knew that we were well on our way to spring.
I had the same revelations Saturday afternoon as I left the Seniors Centre in Fort Frances and realized there was still daylight in the sky well after five in the evening. I shouldn’t have been surprised when I realized that we had passed the halfway point to the equinox. Hopefully we have passed the last deep freeze of winter. We can look forward to more moderate temperatures.
Spring is on its way. Signs in store windows are marking the final markdowns of winter items. Winter may not be over, but retailers are making way for new merchandise and seeking to get the costs of unsold items back into their cash drawers. We can see store windows promoting new arrivals of spring merchandise for those travelling with families at the March break. Flyers arriving in our mailboxes have shifted from snowblowers and shovels to wheel barrows, rakes, hoses, and barbecues.
Kim Jo wrote in her column that she was getting ready for sleep deprived nights for her calving season. A notice from Emo Feed that it was time to order chicks for egg laying and for meat birds. It is also that time when we can see greenhouses heating up to grow flowers and plants for the growing season. Seeds are again appearing in stores announcing opportunities for home gardeners to begin growing their own plants and getting the best selection. Out of area nurseries are already emailing us in invitations to consider new shrubs and trees.
Fishermen are already receiving emails from lure manufacturers enticing them to purchase the latest in fashionable new colours and shapes to improve their catch. Minn Kota, Garmin, Lowrance have offered enticing new fish finders on my social pages tempting me with super successful fishing this coming open water season.
New car lots are filling up for the busiest selling season.
The snow is still over 50 cm deep across my yard. It probably won’t disappear for another six weeks or longer, but cabin fever and the excitement of spring brings hope for the coming seasons.
Former Publisher Fort Frances Times
