Rites of spring

Forget the groundhog. Here's how I know when spring is on its way.

First, the noisy thumps at my windows signal the annual return of our resident bluebirds, Fred and Wilma. For about a month just before the trees begin to bud, Fred spends his days launching himself at the windows of my home, in a misguided and surely painful attempt to make sure Wilma doesn't stray.

Then, the glorious time change. For a long-driving commuter like myself, it is so rewarding to get to my home and actually be able to see my home.

Gradually the early-blooming forsythia and daffodils make their cheerful yellow appearance.

But perhaps the truest and most reliable sign of spring can be seen around the office. Lights stay on later in the evenings, packages and invitations arrive by the bushel-full, my e-mail box is consistently locked up with high-res product photos, and there is just a very noticeable change in the office vibe. High Point is coming.

So again, sure as the sun rises, we are back for our springtime adventure. And though in many ways it feels the same as it always does, this season has a distinctive, though not necessarily good feel to it.

This is the most challenging economic environment that I can remember in furnishings and perhaps in the country as a whole. Of course, my tenure is a lot shorter than many of yours, but I hear the talk and read the news and know that this is a definite rough patch for the industry.

And yet, we are back in High Point to do it all again this month, even in the face of challenges. There is a certain calming influence, I think, to maintaining long-held routines and not letting the bad news shake us from staying the course.

The winter market season was surprisingly upbeat, and I expect High Point to be bustling too. It's springtime, after all, and what better time for regrowth?