After what, for many, felt like a never-ending winter, spring is just around the corner. In our neck of the woods, the snow is almost gone. We’ve even experienced a rare winter thunderstorm.

In much of the world, we’ve gotten used to the ever-changing seasons. The first blooms poking through the last thin layer of snow. The increasing warmth of the sun—and the lake. The occasional red and orange leaf. The bitter wi...