Sounds That Let You Know It’s Spring In Southeastern Minnesota

I was outside in our backyard this morning, filling one of our bird feeders, when I heard that distinctive sound that defines spring and summer throughout southeastern Minnesota: the lawnmower!

Yes, one of my neighbors was out mowing his lawn already!  Well, to be fair, he might have had a mulching or thatching blade on his mower, but he definitely had the 'ol mower powered up.

After not having heard a lawnmower for the last 6 months, hearing one this morning was kind of cool. And, just hearing that distinctive sound, after the long, cold winter we just went through, immediately took me back to those days of summer vacation when I was a kid-- when the days seemed to stretch on without end. It also got me thinking of some other sounds that bring all those memories of warm, summer days back when you hear them again each spring:

** The sound of an outboard motor takes me back to the family cabin on Trout Lake in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, where I spend many long, summer days.

** The sound of a single engine plane high up in the sky takes me back to an open field near the high school next to my grandparents house, where my brother and I would ride our bikes when we were kids.

** The sound of a chainsaw firing up reminds of me of the neighborhood where I had my paper route, and the cleaned up that ensued after a summer storm rumbled through.

What are some spring/summer sounds YOU remember and love to hear for the first time each year?