"Maybe it's this springy mind-set. I guess people around here are finally waking up after winter," she said.

But true New Englanders have learned not to discount winter, even after its official end. It was no joke when two feet of snow was dumped on the region during 1997's so-called April Fools' Day storm.

Well aware of the area's fickle weather patterns, and, wagering that recent record highs will soon give way to bone-chilling cold, locals took full advantage of the warm weather.

Boston resident Jane P. Campbell, 57, an avid power-walker, halted her strides along the Charles as a flock of geese crossed her path. She chuckled as the animals waddled off, and said she does not care what the future holds, and is concentrating on today.

"I wouldn't be surprised if winter staged a comeback," she said, rolling her eyes. "We always seem to get one last hurrah of snow and ice around here."

"But just look at this," she exclaimed, drawing her hand from the towers of the Boston skyline-with the cloudless sky as its backdrop-toward the towers of Harvard. "Just totally spectacular," she said.

Asked if seasonal changes result in a change in mood or attitude, Campbell said the answer is obvious.

"Can't you just feel it? It's in the air. Go over to Harvard Square or into Faneuil Hall and you'll know what I'm talking about," she said. "Everything is so fluid, everyone is moving around and doing their thing. It's all so alive."

Campbell she has been in a "slump" the past few weeks, but now feels rejuvenated. She said everyone feels "full of life and vitality" when spring comes, and that everyone is "more pleasant and enjoys the world around them more."

"Even with the rain showers yesterday, everything seemed so fresh," Campbell continued. "Spring is here, and we're all coming out of hibernation."