While spring is usually a time of relative upheaval and disarray, from melting snowdrifts and rainstorms to the first flower shoots poking their heads out of the ground, this year’s transition has been especially tumultuous at THE EQUITY.

The newsroom has been shuffled. This is the first edition of the paper in nearly two years without a greasy-haired Maltese fellow minding the spelling and grammar. It might not sound like a big deal, but the man earned the nickname Hawkeye in college for his relentless attention to detail, and if anything, acted as a counterbalance to his colleagues’ reckless abuse of the English language.

In the Pontiac at large, there seems to be a restless hankering for warm weather that is palpable when walking down Main Street or standing in line at the dep. It’s like everybody’s just waiting for Old Man Winter to pack it in, and give way to the rollicking weather patterns of spring.

Over the weekend, the wretched bugger had his last kick at the can and wouldn’t you know it, he wasted his shot. It was an utterly pathetic excuse for a squall that, with any luck, will be the last bit of snow that this slice of God’s country sees until 2019 is in its death throes.

Daylight savings has arrived, not a moment too soon, and workdays are no longer a slog from one dark commute to another. Birds are returning home to nest, grass is visible and everything seems to be coming up Milhouse.

But with the arrival of decent weather comes expectations, commitments and more endless toil. As much as the change in seasons is a welcome transition, it comes with its own baggage and downsides to overcome.

Like the overrated hack Robert Dylan said, “if your time to you is worth saving, then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changing.”

Spring has sprung everybody; let’s make the most of it.

Caleb Nickerson