The Slice: Without winter, spring may stall

Maybe you’re not worried about it.

But it’s almost certain that spring in the Spokane area will seem less magical this year because of our freakishly mild winter.

Oh, sure. We’ll note the blooms and longer days. And the usual seasonal activities, from garden prep to baseball talk, will mark the calendar’s progress.

It won’t be the same, though. Not after the last couple of years.

In 2008 and 2009, spring arrived as practically a celebration of survival. You probably don’t need to hear a passage from the Pastoral Symphony to jog your memory.

But this year? Spring will be coming on the heels of the gray autumn that wouldn’t end.

OK, we all know that there are those in our midst who wish our climate resembled San Diego’s. For them, the no-show winter will not detract from their ability to savor spring.

For the rest of us, though, a pronounced change in the weather is simply the natural order of things. And this year’s gradual oozing from one season to the next will lack the classic compare/contrast dynamic that typically shapes our outlook.

The vernal equinox is just three weekends away. How do you plan to note the occasion — swapping one light jacket for another?

All right, it’s not easy to sell people on the idea of mourning the absence of snow and ice. Even those of us who don’t mind a few blizzards and occasional cold temperatures have to admit that it has been remarkably easy to get around town this winter.

But there will be a price to pay.

Oh, it will be subtle. Still, spring’s seasonal splendor won’t feel quite the same.

You can’t really have a rescue if there was no danger to begin with.

Today’s Slice question: Who are the Spokane area’s king and queen of brunch?