Quaking aspen catkins

After many false starts and disappointments, three certain signs and changes have been seen.

Towards the west side of the city is a spot I sometimes walk my dogs. There are a few small groves of the native Aspen there. Yesterday upon close inspection, I noticed the first appearance of a grayish fuzz. This will turn into Aspen catkins, flowers. That was the first sign; the other two conclusive signs were a gopher running across the snow and the arrival of robins. I hear them everywhere. They have a two toned call, pleasant to my ear, something like
spring-time, spring-time.

(Photo credit: “2015-03-27 15 47 17 Quaking Aspen catkins at Great Basin College in Elko, Nevada" by Famartin, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.)