This is the picture I had intended to post yesterday but posted another instead. If you look closely, you can see the roof of Ben's black car peeking over the top of the snow bank. For those who are not accustomed to this kind of winter, the snow bank is formed when we shovel the snow off the driveway. We pile all the snow on this side of the driveway, the south side. If we did not, because of the prevailing north and northwest winds, snow would drift back into the driveway. We may lack some sensibilities for continuing to live where we do but we are not completely stupid. It definitely is not nice to reshovel the snow you have already shoveled. :-D

There are subtle signs of spring, definitely nothing to rival Christine's. The primary one is longer daylight hours. Yes, I know everyone in the northern hemisphere has that one but you take what you can get when you can get it. It is a little after 6:30 a.m. and the eastern sky is beginning to lighten. That was not happening even a week and a half ago. The snowfall now is generally wet and heavy. Earlier in the winter it is generally dry and light. The sun is gaining authority; it melts the snow off the pavements much more quickly now. We are even having days where the temperature is above freezing. The birds are also beginning to claim their territory.