The calendar says spring begins March 20 and we can safely say that Whidbey Islanders are ready.

While thankful that we don’t live in snowdrift lane or tornado alley, we are fed up with our island-style winter. Wind, rain, and constant cold have marked this winter on Whidbey. There haven’t been extremes, just a relentless dose of more-of-the-same. More wind, more rain and more cold get tiresome after a while even if we have avoided a deep freeze or snow closures. All we can claim is a lot of downed trees and fallen limbs, but we’re used to that.

It’s not unusual for true Northwesterners to love the rain. Our constant cloud cover is a blanket that protects us from arctic blasts of snow and ice. We don’t mind the drizzle, it keeps us green and lush. But enough is enough.

Since Jan. 1, North Whidbey has seen two to five more inches of rain than is normal, depending on where you live. The Navy base keeps good records, and through early March it had received about 7.5 inches of rain, compared to 2.5 inches the year before. That’s a huge difference,

The sun came out Sunday, and with it hundreds of islanders who flocked to the stores to buy flowers, soil, rakes, hoes, fertilizers and lawnmower spark plugs. They’re ready for spring, but the rain was supposed to return Tuesday. We’ll give it a few more days, but when spring officially beings March 20, we demand spring-like weather. We’ve paid our winter dues in full.