> An amusing story, but hardly frightening. How else would one know it was the first official day of spring? Things outside don't really look all that different to the way they did the day before. It's no easier to tell when spring starts than it is to tell when May rolls around. Sure, you'll realise it eventually, but it's hardly going to smack you in the face when you get up in the morning. Your average body clock can't even pinpoint the *hour* with decent accuracy. We rely on clocks for that, you know.

True. I used to battle with my brother every year over whether the calendar had a right to determine the official beginning of spring. I would declare the first day of spring whenever I went outside and smelled that warm, moist earthy smell that first comes, in our area, any time from late February to mid-March. My brother insisted spring did not begin until the calendar said it did. This essentially sums up the childhood differences between my brother and myself. I still kind of resent the imposition of an official start date for the seasons.