# "Special Spring" Doper Sign-in **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 19, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521 "2016-03-19T13:20:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/1 "2016-03-19T13:20:49Z")
According to [Spring Equinox 2016: Everything you need to about earliest spring arrival for 120 years](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spring-equinox-2016-everything-earliest-080000463.html) > [@](#): > > The spring equinox – or autumn equinox for the Southern Hemisphere – takes place at exactly the same time around the world; 04.30 GMT/00.30 ET on Sunday 20 March. > > “Thanks to some Leap Day weirdness this year, we’re in for the earliest arrival of spring since 1896,” said Paul Cox, astronomer from Slooh. “Vernal Equinox usually occurs on March 21st, but this year, depending on your time zone, it falls on March 19 or 20. That’s great for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, but it also marks an early start to winter for those in the Southern Hemisphere.” To celebrate this joyous event just post to this thread with as simple a text as you wish, short or long, or just “+1” to develop a post count of people who like to be in on such things. **Add any Vernal Equinox trivia you know about.** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/2 "2016-03-19T13:26:36Z")
Some neat facts and details about [Equinox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox) might trigger some ideas for discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/3 "2016-03-19T13:33:43Z")
Another gee-whiz article is at [March Equinox - Equal Day and Night, Nearly](http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/march-equinox.html) where it is noted that: > [@](#): > > March Equinox in Wichita, Kansas, USA is on > Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 11:30 PM CDT (Change city) ▸ > > March Equinox in Universal Coordinated Time is on > Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 04:30 UTC ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/4 "2016-03-19T19:20:19Z")
I look forward to vernal equinox because it’s one more little tick of the clock counting down the days until it’s warm enough to ride consistently. During winter we get only a few scattered days when it’s nice enough to ride. Most of the time I have to content myself with going out to the garage and caressing my babies, always being careful to give an equal amount of attention to each one: Buzzy, Pepper, and Coquette. At some point in April, the first real warm day will arrive. I’m waiting… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/5 "2016-03-19T19:32:33Z")
What sort of “riding” is that, **Arrendajo**? Thanks for keeping this from being another dud **Zeldar** thread! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/6 "2016-03-19T20:09:54Z")
When I was in the dorm at college back in the early 60s somebody came up with the idea (and somehow spread it around) for all of us – at some specific moment that I forget now what it was specifically – to slam the door to our room at that precise moment. (I think the chime on the clock tower was the signal). Mind you, this was years before [I’m mad as Hell and I’m not going to take this anymore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGIY5Vyj4YM) from [Network (1976).](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958/?ref_=nv_sr_2) Maybe between now and 11:30 PM CDT we can come up with some similar mass reaction to the arrival of Spring! Ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/7 "2016-03-19T20:31:31Z")
Let’s not forget the pagan celebration of [Ostara](http://www.ibtimes.com/spring-equinox-facts-2016-history-pagan-ostara-festival-2336956). Celbrated long before Christianity’s Easter. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/8 "2016-03-19T20:41:30Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Let’s not forget the pagan celebration of [Ostara](http://www.ibtimes.com/spring-equinox-facts-2016-history-pagan-ostara-festival-2336956). Celbrated long before Christianity’s Easter. Without even looking it up to see if I’m right, I can see how _Ostara_ and _Easter_ come from similar roots, if not the same. Nice article! ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/9 "2016-03-19T22:45:46Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > What sort of “riding” is that, **Arrendajo**? > > Thanks for keeping this from being another dud **Zeldar** thread! 🙂 Scooters – 2 Vespas and a Genuine Stella. Coquette is a GTS 250, my main cruising scooter. Scootergirl and I burn up the back roads and city streets all summer long. I checked the almanac to see what the average highs are here. April is 61 degrees, so some of those days will very nice high 70s or low 80s – perfect riding weather. Rainfall averages just over 3" in April, so actually less wet than our winters. One of the local scooter clubs planned to ride to the Daffodil Festival in Junction City tomorrow, and I was all bummed because I have to work all day. But then I checked the weather forecast and it looks like the ride will get rained out, so that made me feel better! Happy Solstice tomorrow, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/10 "2016-03-19T23:31:48Z")
Thanks, **Arrendajo** , I had about figured the scooter thing out by looking at you profile and some of your posts. 🙂 I wonder what would happen if we all composed a post and were prepared to submit them at precisely 11:30 PM CDT (adjusted for local time, of course). Has that sort of thing been done before – on a signal like that? I just hope I can remember to do one at that moment… ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/11 "2016-03-20T00:22:29Z")
+1 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/12 "2016-03-20T00:23:32Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > What sort of “riding” is that, **Arrendajo**? > > Thanks for keeping this from being another dud **Zeldar** thread! 🙂 Hey, I thought I was Queen of the Duds. 🙂 > [@Arrendajo](#): > > Scooters – 2 Vespas and a Genuine Stella. Coquette is a GTS 250, my main cruising scooter… I was sure those were horses! I was picturing you feeding them carrots and lumps of sugar. Spring has sprung, The grass is riz, I wonder where the flowers iz. _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/13 "2016-03-20T00:34:21Z")
An earlier equinox? Oh good. That means hellishly high temperatures will be just that much earlier this year. It’s already baking outside. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/14 "2016-03-20T00:36:22Z")
Here’s some trivia. My sister’s birthday is March 20th, so I always associate the beginning of Spring with her. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/15 "2016-03-20T03:57:19Z")
I calculate it will be Spring in 33 minutes! Are you ready? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/16 "2016-03-20T04:30:07Z")
[Spring Is Here - The Singers Unlimited feat. Art van Damme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhQgwewIBq4) Many happy returns, y’all! ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/17 "2016-03-20T05:34:33Z")
Happy Spring indeed! 'Tis the second best season! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/18 "2016-03-20T10:38:19Z")
I got 11" of snow today. Spring, my ass!! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/19 "2016-03-20T10:42:39Z")
What is “snow”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521/20 "2016-03-20T13:48:15Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > I got 11" of snow today. Spring, my ass!! My sympathies to you. By what date do you expect it will be done with the snow? I used to think [June Is Bustin’ Out All Over by Rodgers & Hammerstein](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k611nq8hLhk)made little sense for an Alabama boy. But when I realized that song was from [Carousel (1956)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049055/?ref_=nv_sr_1) which was set in New England (Maine, I think), I began to think June might even be _early_ some years! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-spring-doper-sign-in/749521.md?page=2)