Another round of lake-enhanced snowfall makes the landscape fresh but travel slow. Intermittent bursts of full sun turn all a blinding white and do nothing to warm the hill when they accompany a driving, albeit intermittent northwesterly blizzard. When the wind dies the snow falls as softly floating islands of icy powder. In contrast to grey days of January the sunny snowing does help mitigate the fact that this season has outlived its welcome. Maple treetops show bud swelling, evidence that its almost time to cut and root poplar twigs again. But not yet – near-record cold is predicted on a new moon night above the frozen lake.