Springtime Anticipation
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When cabin fever has reached it's limit people come crawling out of the woodwork. Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook. Recently, assistant producer, Doug Sanborn traveled to O'Donal's Nurseries in Gorham, Maine in search of the cure. He files this report.

As soon as I had walked in through the door I breathed in the scent of the plants around me and felt one step closer to that magical season known as Spring. Judy Johnson is the president of O'Donal's Nurseries in Gorham, Maine. She says that each year many people come through her door in search of the cure for Cabin Fever. That cure comes in all forms of green, leafy plants. But, when the ground outside isn't ready for planting many people opt for the indoor varieties. Johnson told me about their current biggest seller.

JJ: Right now it's houseplants. Folks are anxious for anything green or with flowers. And we have that and it's about the only thing that makes sense at this time of year. So, our houseplant sales seem to boom in February and March.

But when the cold Maine winter does subside people begin to come out in force.

JJ: When April hits, it really is the beginning of Spring for us. Now this year, with all luck, will be an early spring and it can hit as early as the first week of April, but absolutely, the sun comes out; it's a little bit warmer and the phone rings, the folks come through the door. They're ready. Absolutely a lot of pent up energy from the long, long winter here.

And that pent up energy turns to large smiles as we round that final corner and people emerge from their winter hibernation to dig those holes and put those plants in the ground. Here's what one customer had to say.

"I'm here to get a taste of spring. I'm itching to get into the dirt and to get out and start cleaning up the yard and get ready for spring."

Thanks today to assistant producer, Doug Sanborn. The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory.