1. Groundhog Day = Spring

People start thinking of spring on February 2, when we look to a prophetic groundhog (or as I like to call it, whistle pig) to tell us if spring will come soon, or in six more weeks (specifically before or after the vernal equinox). This year, Phil didn’t see his own shadow, so spring should supposedly be here, as we’re now more than eight weeks past Groundhog Day. (Keep in mind, however, that this whistle pig is only accurate 39 percent of the time.)

2. Except Not Yet...

In general, people are smart enough to not completely trust an animal to give them trustworthy weather reports, so regardless of whether Phil sees his shadow, we’re looking forward to all this snow melting pretty soon. As pretty as it is, and no matter how much you love skiing or snowboarding or what-have-you, it’s got to go. Bring on the sun!

3. Let's Get Snirt-y

Even if winter has decided to keep us in its cold clutches for six more weeks, there are a few days scattered around where it’s actually pretty warm. (This is when you can tell who is from New England and who isn’t: those who are break out their summer clothes and start working on a tan, and everyone else is still wearing full-length coats and stuffing their pockets with hand warmers.) It’s unfortunate that this is also the time of year that snirt (snow that’s become so full of dirt it’s just become a united brown mass) comes out in full force, but there’s not much to be done about that. You’ve just got to grin and bear it until it’s gone.

4. Let's Go to the Beach-each, Let's Go Get Away

The snow’s gone! Yay! You can actually see the grass! Except it’s not much to look at, as it’s been under a blanket of snow for approximately five months and probably pretty matted and brown and generally dead-looking. But don’t worry, it’ll bounce back! And anyway, even if you were looking at a turf field it would be brown: where there’s snow, there’s sand (so you don’t slip on packed down snow or ice). While snow (eventually) melts, the sand sticks around until spring rain washes it away (but since we are in New England, after all, that won’t take very long—it rains a lot). Think of it this way: everywhere is a beach!

5. "Spring Has Sprung"

The snow’s gone, the sand’s gone, and the flowers are starting to bloom. The sun is out, it’s reasonably warm and the world seems to get a little happier. People come out of hibernation and suddenly take out their fun, brightly-colored clothes, even people who aren’t from around here. Snap a picture of the first daffodil, send it to everyone and your mom with a caption that says, “spring has sprung!” or something corny like that, and wait for the days when you can lounge around all day.

6. The Death of All Your Hopes and Dreams...

The inevitable happens. The sunshine was a lie, the happiness was a lie, and the world has gone back to a dull monochrome. Several more inches of snow. The problem now is that once you’ve been infected with a little bit of spring, you don’t want to let it go, so there’s no "appreciating the beauty of one last snowstorm." Oh well, here we go again. Spring starts over.

7. ...Except Here They Are Again!

The next day, it’s as if that snow was all just a bad dream because it’s already melted away. It’s warm, it’s bright out, and everybody’s blindly trusting that spring is here to stay by wearing fun clothes again.

8. *Shivering* "It's s-s-s-so warm-m-m-m!"

Here’s the thing with getting out your summer wardrobe so soon: New England doesn’t go from 20-70 degrees in 12 hours. So for a few weeks, it’s going to be in the 40s, which is still pretty chilly. But the sun will technically be out, which means you’ll see a lot of under-dressed, still-miserable people.

9. Because You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

It’s finally that time when you can lie down on a blanket on the now-green grass, have a picnic, stare at the clouds and do nothing. Except classes are still things you have to go to, so you still can’t really enjoy the nice weather. Sorry about that. Also, exams are coming up. Have fun studying!

10. Ah...Ah...Ah-CHOO!

I'm sure this goes without saying for some people, but when you have spring, you have allergy season! From all those beautiful daffodils and dandelions with their lovely smells and bright colors comes Death (aka pollen). So get out your Zyrtec, Allegra, or Claritin for those congested, red-eyed, nose-tickling days in preparation for a bittersweet mix of simultaneous never-ending misery and ultimate joy.

11. Isn't New England Great?

The school year is over! You finished your exams (it doesn’t even matter how well you did at this point), you’re home from college and you have no responsibilities. The warm weather is here to stay. Start wearing those big sunglasses, start slathering on that sunscreen, start tanning that chalky skin! Congratulations, you survived the psychological ringer of a New England spring. Come visit us again sometime!