The calendar says today is the last day of winter.

We’re over the bitter cold of February, but not close enough to spring to feel that first warm breeze. When we step out, we “sense” the weather. We look toward the sky and we sniff the breeze, feel how damp the air is. We probe for any sign of spring. It will be here any day. Temperatures are unremarkable, hovering a little above freezing. About all you can say is that it’s not really cold.

The sun is gone, and we hover between rain and snow and sleet. Waiting. The rain and wind attack the receding piles of dirty snow and ice. The piles are ugly now, riddled with gravel and debris. We don’t like to look at them. They surrender their moisture, their essence. It floats skyward, like the dying spirit of Winter, returning to its beginning. Any day now, it’ll be Spring.

If you don’t live in the norther part of the U.S. you might not know the pleasures of winter driving. In the hills around Bradford, PA it’s all just part of life at this time of year. Winter driving can be slippery, tricky, and dangerous, but at least we don’t have traffic jams around here.

“As I look around me,
a bright sky I see,
and a shadow beside me.
Six more weeks of winter it will be!”

Even as Punxsutawney Phil predicted that we’ll see six more weeks of winter, it was hard to believe that anything cast a shadow today.

This week’s weather is predicted to be overcast and cloudy with temperatures hovering slightly above freezing.

Speaking of the winter blues, are you looking for something to do on Superbowl Sunday? Consider coming to the 5th Annual Big Game Party & Wing Contest, 6pm Sunday at the Open Arms Community Church, 1289 East Main Street in Bradford. Bring your best wing sauce and enter the contest, or just bring a dish or drink to share. Everyone is invited!

Winter starts when the snow sticks to the ground.

It looks like winter will be here a while now.