It's spring, isn't it?

The calendar says today, March 20, is the first day of spring. The fog and 45-degree temperatures this morning wish to debate that. How about a little rain to welcome in the new season? Is that too much to ask?

Spring around here is a crapshoot. Some years, maybe most years, we go from winter to summer with a brief pause to recognize spring. And when it is warm, that only means winds are howling at 40 mph. But spring does bring Easter, the start of baseball, bringing the lawnmower out of the garage, and, hey, tax day.

It also apparently brings out the poets, authors and other wordsmiths. With the exception of Robin Williams and Ogden Nash, I have no idea who these others are, but if they came up with the line, they deserve the credit. A sampling:

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'" -- Robin Williams.

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." -- Doug Larson.

"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day." -- W. Earl Hall.

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." -- Margaret Atwood.

"The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference is sometimes as great as a month." -- Henry van Dyke.

"Indoors or out, no one relaxes in March, that month of wind and taxes, the wind will presently disappear, the taxes last us all the year." -- Ogden Nash.