We're spoiled, no doubt about it. After a long spate of early-winter days when the temperature barely nudged above -17C, with wind to make it worse at the height of the day, then plunging below -20s at night, we find ourselves thrust -- quite willingly -- by nature into far milder temperatures than happen to be normal at this time of winter in Canada.

Despite the cold there's never been a dearth of sun to cheer us up.

That's the 'spoiled' part; oodles of sunny days. Today our puppies, Jackie and Jillie are bemused; no sun. The absence of the house-warming and -brightening sun is something that they don't subscribe to. On the other hand, the snowpack everywhere in our environment is swiftly diminishing. Not much left of the accumulated snow in our backyard, much less at the roadside which until several days ago was a real driving challenge.

Unless our winter weather returns to normal through the month of March we're in for an early, really early spring. No complaints, none whatever. This morning after breakfast we put out torn-apart bits of leftover bagels. Jackie and Jillie yearn to get at them, but we had placed one piece each on the deck lanterns and watched as our tiny resident red squirrel made off with them, one by one. A bit of excitement for our two pups.

Who yesterday enjoyed yet another of those full-on-sun days with light and warmth streaming through the forest canopy. There too, the snow is gradually melting, and the creek is running high with meltwater. There's plenty of accumulated ice and snow to go, but much has already been reduced, the snowpack nowhere near as high or as thick as it had been.

We're on our way to spring! Or not ... should nature decide to reverse the order of her seasons yet again as she seems fond of doing. Just to confuse us? Who knows...