Into the Swing of Spring

In my house, we often say spring is close at hand when these little guys start showing up again: 

The American robin is not merely a harbinger of spring:
it is also the state bird of Michigan.

Sure enough, I have seen enough robins in the past week to sense that spring may indeed be on its way.  Other signs are the beautiful (if still a tad chilly) weather we've had the past couple of days.

Michigan does have trouble making up her mind, of course, hence the bursts of rain and even snow we've had between the sunny days.  I was actually looking outside at a robin on Wednesday when the snow came swirling down - it didn't seem terribly bothered, of course, and it did brighten up considerably that afternoon - but the irony of seeing the symbol of spring in wintry winds didn't escape me.

With the weather hopefully becoming more fair going forward, it's a great time to start on new projects.  Spring cleaning and airing out the house are a great tradition, as are getting some good sunshine and exercise outdoors.

And if you're artistically inclined, here at Portland District Library, we are proudly hosting the annual Portland Creates! competition.  Entry forms have been available all through March, and today, April 1, is the first day we can accept submissions!

Each person can submit up to two artworks, and there are prizes to be won - in each of our four age categories, 2 winners will be selected by our panel of volunteer judges, and 1 winner will be selected by popular vote.  Personally, I've never won an art competition and don't see myself starting now (we library staff do have our own category, though!), but it's still fun to get creative and see what your fellow Portlandians can do!

More information on Portland Creates!, including submission guidelines, and our other spring programming can be obtained at our Circulation and Youth Desks, as well as on our Facebook page (linked in the sidebar to the left).  Call us or stop on by!