There are any number of indicators that spring has arrived. Some are familiar — the sights and smells that affirm the change of the season. Mississippi winters are not severe — this one just past has been unusually mild. They are more of an inconvenience, really, and so we embrace the arrival of spring not with desperation, but with more subtle emotions.
We note, with mild pleasure, the blooms of the wisteria, the return of our fat little buzzing friends, the bumblebees who are surveying their options among our flower beds and gardens and a number of other signs that suggest the season has changed.
Soon, the Lowndes County Master Gardeners will delight us with their displays at the corners of Main and Market. Soon, the Columbus Pilgrimage will signal another sure sign that spring has arrived.
All these things tell us spring has sprung, as the saying goes.
Yet there is also another reliable sign that assures us spring has arrived that, perhaps, you haven’t considered; You can tell it’s spring by where the cars are.
When a nursery or garden center parking lot is filled with cars on a weekday afternoon, spring has arrived.
When a trip to the Riverwalk means you have to get there before 5 p.m. to grab a spot in the lower-level parking lot, spring has arrived.
When a sea of cars have descended on Dudy Noble Field for a weekend of Mississippi State baseball, spring has arrived.
When cars in your neighborhood are pulled out of the garage and onto the driveway, ready for the garden hose and soapy sponges, spring has arrived.
When it’s political season, we are advised to “follow the money.”
When it’s spring season, follow the cars.
Cars take us to spring places and spring things.
By that estimation, we are confident in saying spring has arrived.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.