Signs of spring abound in the Miss-Lou days before the calendar says they should.

Blooming trees, warm temperatures and beautiful flowers are just a few of the rewards the area bestows on us all this time of year.

But the best rewards are earned, not given, and this Saturday, the first day of spring, offers a few chances for us to give back.

The ladies of the Ferriday Garden Club made major progress last year with their “Let’s cleanup Ferriday” campaign.

This year, the campaign is different — “Let’s keep Ferriday clean.”

The group will once again compete in the Louisiana Garden Club Federation’s cleanest city contest. Last year, Ferriday placed third.

Volunteers will gather at the post office at 8:30 a.m. to begin work around town. Organized work will continue until noon, but the spring-cleaning certainly doesn’t end at lunchtime or the Ferriday town limits.

In Natchez, tourism season is in full swing. Our azaleas will arrive any day now, and plenty of areas in our community could use sprucing.

Why not take a family walk Saturday and pick up trash along the way?

A bit of sprucing on the first day of spring will make the rest of this wonderful season all the better.

The Miss-Lou’s blessings are all around, let’s get outside and enjoy them.