I guess for the past week or two I have been going about half asleep, or keeping my eyes glued straight ahead, and haven't noticed that spring is springing!

The jonquils have not only come out; they are blooming all over. I first noticed the flowers of spring as we were coming into Pea Ridge from Rogers a few days ago. As we crossed the Little Sugar Creek Bridge and made the bend to the left and began climbing Easley Hill, I noticed that John and June Easley's hillside is in full bloom, jonquils all over. Then I also noticed as we turned in to our Windmill Subdivision, that we have a variety of jonquils blooming by the sub-division's welcome sign. Finally, arriving home, we noticed at along the walk outside our front door, we have a clump of green with two blooms right in front of our own house. I suppose I have just become so accustomed to the gray and gloom of winter that I forgot that March is the time to begin looking for new signs of life and color in nature.

This winter has been darker and more gloomy than usual, so it has seemed to me. We have often remarked about the continuing cold, cold temperatures and the high heating bills for December and January, but also that the night times are so dark that we almost never see the stars. Maybe now we'll begin to see more stars, as well as the shades of yellow and white as the jonquils bloom out around the community.

When I was growing up, I never knew the jonquils by their name. To us they were Easter flowers; not lilies of course, but flowers which announced the Easter season. It is interesting to me, now, to note the places where one sees jonquils, sometimes in rows along driveways, sometimes scattered on the hillsides, sometimes marking a place where an old farmhouse once stood. These amazingly resilient flowers keep coming back year after year, sometimes continuing for years after the person who originally placed them has passed on or moved away. Some of us who are Pea Ridge old-timers continue to recall Effie Johnson, who lived on the hill as one approaches the Brush Creek Swoop on the way to Rogers. Today, some 50 to 60 years after her lifetime, Effie's flowers still bloom on the hill, still adding beauty and charm to the lives of people who pass by there.

The flowers and the coming of spring, I think, tends to have a perking up affect on many of us. The green and the shades of yellow and white have a rejuvenating affect on our moods. The gray of winter tends to wear on our minds as well as challenging the body. I've been told that this affect of the colorless environment, along with the darkness of winter days, presents a particular challenge to peoples such as the Eskimos who live in the far north. They resort to active gatherings like dances to liven up themselves and beat the winter doldrums. I'm no dancer, so I'd rather not have to dance to keep myself cheered up. But I do enjoy and appreciate the coming of spring.

Actually, I have already made one announcement of the beginnings of spring. Back when our January deep freeze relented and warmed up to the 30s, I went into the bank one day and announced that spring had sprung. I guess that was an example of premature and wishful thinking. Spring is still officially about 14 days out, but, based on the jonquils, I am hereby proclaiming the unofficial springing of spring in northwest Arkansas. The flowers should know more than the calendar knows. Of course, sometimes when spring springs a little early, the freeze sneaks back in and plays havoc with the tender buds and sprouts. Sigh! But, winter, winter, go away! You've had your day. It's time for spring!

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Editor's note: Jerry Nichols, a native of Pea Ridge and can be contacted by email at [email protected], or call 621-1621. The opinions expressed are those of the author.