For those of us in the Far North (Vermont) there are a series of Signs of "Spring." Earliest, and my wife's favorite, is the Winter Solstice ... the day after which the days start getting longer. Next, Groundhog Day, Feb 2. For baseball nuts, it's the day the Batteries (pitchers & catchers) report to Spring Training, in mid-February. For Vermonters there's First Day of Sugaring (sap starts running, for maple syrup). The Guarantee one has survived the Winter is Opening Day (baseball), around
April 1.
Personally, I can't go as far as Susan, honoring the Winter Solstice as the Indicative Turning Point. However, I've got a new Marker which I just read about in a push email from the San Francisco Giants. Next Tuesday, February 10, Spring Training tickets go on sale! Halleluiah! Spring is here, or at any rate only 4 days away!