Them's snow clouds!

E. Ridge Rd., Monaghan Twp., York County, Pennsylvania

That’s not just any old grey sky in this morning’s photo. Them’s snow clouds! And indeed, snow is starting to fall even as I type. Now the forecast is for only an inch or two, but this winter that is cause for celebration, at least by me.

The temperature is only just cold enough to snow, at 31 degrees this a.m. Even that feels a bit like a victory, since on so many days the days are well above freezing and the nights only cold enough to flirt with that mark. For a day or so, until the next warm-up, the landscape will look like winter again. Even the long range forecasts show little hope of an actual winter making much of an appearance in the near term. And each week that passes makes the prospect of spring more likely than much winter weather.

Even the birds seem unimpressed by the prospect of a little snow. I have found them the best prognosticators of poor weather. When a bad storm is coming, they feed like crazy. It’s like a shark’s feeding frenzy only with feathers. Whatever sensors they use to predict weather, they are always right. Last night and even this morning, they didn’t rush to the feeders, weren’t pecking on the patio door this morning, demanding seed and suet. Still, I made sure the feeders were full. They may change their little minds once the flakes are a little thicker.