The first signs of spring are beginning to show. No, I don't mean the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming, and the ice block in the parking lot is melting. I really mean the first SIGNS.
The signs I'm referring to are the ones that have started popping up in windows and on lawns around Brigham Young University and Utah Valley Community College.I saw my first one just the other day. It said, "Women: For Rent." That sign was on 700 East, just a short distance from BYU. But I have been informed that you can find "Men: For Rent" and "Couples: For Rent" around town, too.
When I was single I probably would have called a few men for rent, just to check out the prices. But I would never have dialed the "Furnished Men For Rent."
Once in a while you can find a good "Couple: For Rent, No Children."
Typically, there are more "Women for Rent" than "Men for Rent" at BYU. But lately the "Couples for Rent" have been on the increase.
Which leads me to the conclusion that things are changing in Happy Valley.
If men and women for rent signs aren't bad enough, (of course they really aren't for rent but the apartments advertised are seeking specific tenants), how about the warning sign displayed along streets every summer: "Careful, Men in Trees."
These men are not necessarily careful, most of them can be seen dangling from limbs and trunks all over the place. Not until you're right on them do you realize those careful men are cutting limbs and dropping them on unsuspecting passers-by.
Other signs to keep an eye on are the perennial "rough road" signs. Several have been placed along State Street in Orem. Generally they are right next to a pothole large enough to swallow your car.
Just think about it for a minute. Signs are really important. If we didn't have signs, we wouldn't know when to cross the street, how much gasoline costs, what's on sale and why we have that parking ticket.
There are other signs we should watch for too, like the first sign of measles, baldness, a cavity or "Student Driver."
I would guess that I'm not the only one watching signs. After all, these days the biggest signs being watched are the signs of the times.