People know Appleton for its cold winters, but few outsiders realize that this little paradise of ours has unusually short winters. It's still early February, and spring is already here! That's right, we had a thaw this week, with temperatures skyrocketing all the way to 40 for a while. We even had several new songbirds come into the area, chirping away wildly. Sure, there may be a few feet of snow yet to come, and there could be an occasional day below zero, but we locals have begun celebrating the arrival of spring. Winter? Distant past! Forget about it.

This weekend, most of us will be outside working on our tans. Make sure to have your frostbite kit along, just in case.