Many full-time residents, like me and Charlie Browne, have had our fill.
Just a few days before the calendar start of spring, the snow is still too deep to hike without tremendous effort on both our parts.
I've taken up snowmobiling, because if you can't beat 'em, join em. As a newbie, and fast-approaching middle age, I am uninterested in the race-around, tear-it-up shenanigans of the younger and opposite gendered crowd who seem to cruise the trails to meet up at pre-determined rendezvous locations to imbibe.
I'm without complaint at this point - desperate to get outside and play. Beside, I've been able to traverse a variety of trails that would have taken me nearly a full day on foot. The stunning vistas in those hard-to-reach-by-foot places have made snowmobiling worth it for me.
Except, Charlie Browne can not accompany me on those outings, so, we've done a fair amount of snow-shoeing.
Except, it's not much fun for him when the snow is still shoulder-high on him.
It's exhausting and we're sick of it.
The Catskills were slated for another n'oreaster on Tuesday but the forecast has since changed and we seem to be in the clear as far as snow fall is concerned.
Temperatures are getting down to the single and teen digits at night yet, and my seasonal four-tons of pellets are dwindling.
The two or three 70-degree days we had in February are a distant memory.
Maybe this seasonal shift of snowy and cold March weather is emblematic of (whispered in a hushed tone) climate change?
In 2017, on the ides of March, the Catskills were walloped by Winter Storm Stella, who caused a three day stand still in Delaware County and elicited assistance from the Army National Guard to help dig us out.
Everyone in these parts is looking forward to March's frolicking lamb.
*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie
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