Friday, March 20, according to the calendar, it was the first day of spring, and what a glorious day it was on Mackinac, with a heavenly blue sky and warm sunshine. Happiness reigned as Jay Porcaro of Weber's Floral arrived with his yearly tradition, tapping on the doors of his many customers and friends and presenting them with bouquets of yellow daffodils, the true sign of spring. Once they were placed in a vase, the blooms opened wide and the fragrance was wonderful. Spring truly is right around the corner. Jay is appreciated for providing such a great treat.

Now that the days are longer, the sunsets beyond the Mackinac Bridge are magnificent, with colors ranging from deep yellow to red. The sunrises are spectacular, casting rays over the ice in the Straits of Mackinac, and now a lot of blue water, which is so nice to see.

Mark Chambers was riding his snowmobile along the shore recently, when he saw an oil barge westbound through Round Island Passage. He suddenly heard a cracking sound, and the wake from the ship was causing the ice on the bee line trail to break up and leave the shore. As of today, Sunday, March 22, there is open water almost to the Mackinac Island Public School. The Soo Locks opened at midnight Wednesday, March 25, so traffic through the Straits of Mackinac will be heavy this week.

Pilot Paul Fullerton (left) of Great Lakes Air helps Jay Porcaro of Weber's Floral of St. Ignace load two baskets filled with packages of daffodils onto a plane Friday, March 20, at the airport in St. Ignace. Each year, Mr. Porcaro hands out the yellow flowers to Island residents on the first day of spring. "It's fun," said Mr. Porcaro. "Everybody looks forward to it." This year, he planned to begin at the school and make his way to Mission Point Resort. We send best wishes to Tymon Horn, who underwent surgery on his leg Tuesday, March 17, in Lansing. He is still in Lansing, making a good recovery.

Happy birthday March 26 to Gary Horn, Michaela Cope, Jimmy Gillespie, and Kirk Smith. Have a great day.

Jason St. Onge spent the week of March 15 in Delray Beach, Florida.

Patricia "Squeak" Horn of St. Ignace has not been feeling her best. Island friends send best wishes.

Ed and Nancy Pfeiffelman will celebrate their wedding anniversary March 29, and also Ed's birthday. Enjoy your time off the Island.

R.D. Musser Jr., chairman of Grand Hotel, visited the Island Monday, March 23, preparing for the 2009 season.

Sunday evening, March 22, the Mustang Lounge was the host of a benefit dinner for the Wellington and Kolatski families. Tony Brodeur prepared a homemade spaghetti meal for all of the friends who came to support this worthy cause. It was truly a gathering of family and friends showing the true Mackinac spirit.

Judy Bynoe, along with Patty and Lily Schoenborn, left Wednesday, March 18, for Houghton, to visit the Randy McKay family.

Robert Chambers attended a retreat at Camp Daggett in Petoskey over the weekend of March 20 and 21. Emma Chambers also drove up from Ferris State University to participate in the weekend activities. Val Porter, with daughters Lilly and Suzanna, also attended the retreat. It was a great weekend.

Happy birthday to Woody Beardsley March 29. Enjoy your day.

Friday, March 27, the students at the Mackinac Island Public School will start their spring break. They will return to school Monday, April 6.

Karen Allen and Liz Burt will travel to Egypt over spring break to visit Liz's mother, who is teaching school there. What an exciting and interesting trip. We will all be anxious to hear about their travels when they return.

Melly, Gene, and Jimmy Hagenbaugh left Mackinac Friday, March 20, for their home in Lapeer.

Kelly Bean and Beau Bielinski enjoyed the week of March 11 visiting Kelly's mother and family in Florida. They had fun in the sun.

Leo Krzeminski, Ike Bunker, Aimee LaFerier, and Linda Price will celebrate their birthdays March 30. Have a wonderful day.

Trish Martin returned to Mackinac Saturday, March 21, after spending several days with Claire Dunnigan in Grass Lake while her parents, Brian and Candi, are on vacation in Greece. Happy birthday to Trish April 2.

Karen McCabe remains a patient at Mackinac Straits Hospital in St. Ignace. She continues to make a very slow recovery from her serious illness. She would enjoy hearing from her many friends on Mackinac.

Happy birthday to Billy Andress April 1.

Jackie and Richard Bolander and Nancy and Ray Kriss are on a twoweek transatlantic cruise to Spain. I'm sure they will have a wonderful time.

The Board of Review was held Monday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 24, at City Hall. City Assessor Joe Stakoe of Petoskey attended the sessions.

Father Rey Garcia spent a few days in Traverse City last week and visited Dennis Brodeur. Dennis is recovering nicely from his fractured hip.

Enjoy the warmer weather!