We've already exceeded our annual average snowfall locally, with warnings from "official sources" that we have a couple of months left and more is likely.

During the past couple of months, we've had at least a day or two each week of daytime high temps in the mid 50F (13C) range. Also during the same period, we've had at least a night or two each week of overnight lows close to 20F (-7C) or below. The pattern is predicted to continue.

There are small patches of "green stuff" visible in the lawn from my window, that sprouted during the last warm swing but that now is "green-dead" (frozen) from the pea-sized sleet that was laying on it yesterday.

"Mother nature" appears to be in a distinct "PMS" phase here, with intermittent "cold-shoulders" interspersed with "hot flashes." About the only notable birds have been bunches of unusually large blue-jays and occasional small cardinals, with the more usually numerous starlings, crows, and sparrows almost unseen.

John