by Audrey Poff

Has there ever been a longer winter? Geez. I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for spring.

Like many of you, the Occasions team has battled a barrage of illnesses since December. Collectively, we’ve had multiple strains of the flu, the stomach virus, COVID, strep … if it has been making its way around the community, at least one or more of us has probably had it once, maybe twice. We’ve had sick co-workers, sick children and sick parents, including one preschooler and one senior adult who had to be hospitalized after a round of the stomach virus.

Personally, I am two for two after trips to the ER with my mom this winter, coming down with COVID a few days after the first trip and a stomach virus after the second trip. I’m considering ordering a “Breaking Bad” style hazmat suit just in case I have to make another trip to the hospital before spring arrives.

This winter, it’s not the cold weather that has so many of us longing for spring, it’s the merry-go-round of viruses that keep spreading through each household. I’m about ready to wave the white flag.

While we are still a few weeks away from the official start of spring, there is hope. One of the first flowers to emerge in Northeast Arkansas as spring draws near is the daffodil. Following the warmer weather we had at the end of February, they seem to be popping up everywhere, and not a moment too soon.

Daffodils symbolize rebirth, new beginnings, hope, joy and good luck. Much of this symbolism has to do with the way they brighten up barren landscapes each spring with their cheerful yellow, orange and white flowers. In the U.S., the daffodil is known as March’s flower, the flower of 10th anniversaries and a symbol for the perennial fundraiser of the American Cancer Society.

In Rhode Island, the city of Newport’s Daffodil Days celebrates the arrival of more than 1.2 million bright yellow daffodils that have been planted throughout the area every April. That’s a lot of hope to kick off the start of spring.

Experts say fall is the best time to plant daffodils, after the weather has turned cold. As happy as those green sprouts emerging have made me this winter, I’ll be ready to dig in the dirt this fall. I’m not much of a gardener, but I can plant a bulb in the ground and look forward once again to the day when the daffodils signal that winter is over and spring is on its way.