News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Tara Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Lasting Expressions on Washington Avenue, puts Easter lilies into a straw basket vase on Tuesday at the store.

ALPENA — The first day of spring on Tuesday was more winter than spring with early flurries of snow in the morning, wind speeds as high as 25 miles per hour, and temperatures as high as 38 degrees and as low as 27 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Even with dreary weather at the start of the new season, Alpena residents and store owners continue on their days and prepare for warmer weather to come this spring.

Liam Rhea, a local resident of Alpena, walks from his house to his job, which takes about 15 minutes.

Despite the colder weather, Rhea said that he looks forward to spring, but that he’s also not bothered by the change in temperatures when taking his walk as he makes sure to plan his attire based on the day.

“I have this Carhartt jacket that was super oversized when I got it at 10, 12 years old, and I still use it,” Rhea said. “Then I have my winter gloves and hat, then I put my hands in my pocket. The only thing I don’t like about now is it got super warm, then all of a sudden it’s colder, which causes a lot of problems when it refreezes.”

While some Northeast Michigan residents go on their day in the colder temperatures, others are preparing for the spring’s upcoming holidays.

Tara Wilson, owner of the floral shop Wilson’s Lasting Expressions on Washington Avenue, said the shop recently brought in spring flowers, such as chamomile, tulips in the flower and bulb form, hyacinths, Easter lilies, and more.

“Mother’s Day is kind of the go-to spring holiday to get flowers, more than Easter,” Wilson said. “It does brighten people’s day, so we’ve gotten a few more orders of spring flowers the past few weeks. And we have the Easter Bunny here, which is cute.”

Lasting Expressions had its first Easter Bunny photo event on Saturday with volunteer photographer Katy Pieart, who uploaded photos of families that came for free online. Wilson said that the Easter Bunny will return from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, from 1 to 5 p.m. on March 29, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 30.

The photographer will not be present on Friday and March 29 but will come back to take more free photos on March 30.

“We lost the Easter Bunny with the mall, so I’m kind of trying to fill that void and help make memories and traditions for families,” Wilson said.

Pieart uploads all family pictures with the Easter Bunny to her website, katypieartphotography.pixieset.com.