I know a lot of us are wondering if Spring will ever arrive!  Here are the top 10 ways you can tell spring is coming, you know, to keep your hopes alive that winter will soon be over.

Nature knows best

1. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and we all know that means only six more weeks of winter. We should be about two-thirds of the way there!

If you’re a bird-watcher any one of the signs from the post “Top 10 Long-awaited Signs of Spring” in Bird Watcher’s Digest by Bill Thompson, III, will have you dreaming of warmer days. Thompson says, “Please forgive me if your backyard does not have all 10 of these signs. Look on the bright side: Winter is almost over! Spring is nearly here!” He suggests keeping an eye open for:

2. Songbird songs means birds are returning from their winter retreats in the south.

3. Tree and flower buds: Thompson noted that in his yard water maples and red maples are the first to show budding, keep an eye on the trees and plants in your area!

4. That spring smell: That delicious “earthy smell” of rain, soil, grass mixing together alerting you that colorful flowers will soon bloom and the grey of wintry snow will be long gone!

5. Days are getting longer: It’s so nice to have more than 8 hours of sunlight!

You can feel it all over

Your body, much like the budding trees and singing birds, can tell when the warmer days are in our future. This can be especially true if you live in the north and/or have seasonal allergies.

6. As Stevie sings, “You can feel it all over…” Allergies that is. Your nose is beginning to run, your throat feels itchy and your eyes are watery. Rest assured it’s allergy season spring! (Here are some tips from Marlo Thomas’ post, “Nothing to Sneeze At: 12 Easy Ways to Combat Spring Allergies,” April 9, 2013, in the Huffington Post on surviving allergies this spring.)

7. Your hair is no longer staticky and you’re not walking around the house shocking yourself anymore.

8. You no longer need to run your humidifier because you’re not waking up with a dry, bloody nose from the dry, cold winter weather.

9. The air doesn’t hurt your face when you venture out. It’s nice to be able to leave the house without all those layers on, too, isn’t it? If it’s one thing I’ve learned living in Michigan it’s that you can never be too prepared! I always leave extra gloves, hats, and even a blanket in my car when I’m making the trek in the winter. When the weather lightens up, I bring these items back into the house and store them away for the next winter.

And the last way you’ll know spring is coming:

10. Swimsuits and shorts and tank tops (oh my!) are out at all your favorite stores. Walk into any clothing store and you’ll see fun bright prints somewhere around mid-February.

So, don’t give up hope yet! You’ve nearly made it through another winter. This also means that you’re a few weeks away from the end of your semester!

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