by Jamie Belnap

STAFF WRITER

Cases of spring fever have risen dramatically in Tooele County in the past few weeks after relatively few cases were reported through the first months of winter.

It's a trend spurred by frequent winter snow storms that have pounded the valley repeatedly. And, while a few patches of dirty snow still remain, many locals are digging into the back of their closets and donning last season's shorts and sandals in attempt to tell Old Man Winter he's not appreciated any longer.

The epidemic now sweeping through the valley has already claimed hundreds, and many more will fall victim if they try to push the limits of the earth's seasonal clock.

I, personally, have contracted what appears to be a fairly contagious bug. The symptoms, while not necessarily severe, typically stem from engaging in outdoor activities too soon. Someone near and dear to me ultimately ended up flat on his back following a small bout with a shovel. In an attempt to turn over some dirt in his front yard, he jumped on the shovel to urge it into the still-frozen ground. Unfortunately, instead of the shovel going down, he did.

Many others are experiencing somewhat similar symptoms. Take, for example, the elementary-aged kids walking to school on still-brisk mornings in summer apparel. That walk to school has got to sting a little.

For me, the symptoms consist of a strong desire to wear my flip-flops every day, eat foods cooked on the grill every night, and the urge to drink a tall, ice-filled glass of lemonade while sitting on a lawn chair on the back deck -- but of course I'd need a blanket to do that. I haven't given in to any of these desires yet, so the pain is minimal.

There is a treatment of course. The problem is it's largely a matter of patience, but many county residents, including myself, are fresh out of that following nearly six months of dreary gray skies and soggy sidewalks, so we'll have to grit our teeth and let it pass naturally.

I don't watch nightly weather forecasts anymore for fear the meteorologist will predict rain and possible snow flurries that will inevitably ruin my potential weekend plans involving sun, blue skies and searching for the dirt I know exists below the weeds in our flower beds.

It's not just my desire to have a semi-presentable yard that makes me hate the lingering months of winter -- and makes me more susceptible to the fever. It's more so the idea that winter in Utah takes up more months of the year that summer does. It's all a matter of fairness. I know spring and fall are mixed in there somewhere, but they hardly seem to make the same statements that winter's slippery roads and mailbox-high snow piles -- or summer's green grasses and human-height sunflowers -- do.

Perhaps the end is near. The conditions outside are getting better as I write this, but I guess there is always the pessimistic side of me that says, "I'll believe it when I see it."

If I can make it through March, the fever may have run its course.

jamieb@tooeletranscript.com