Here I was, wondering just when this topic would take off and a pleasure to see it at last gain some traction. 

On the subject of weather and winter, all along the mountains of the West it has been days of cold with warm sun in between graces of snow. Not light snow either, at least not until the day prior where we had "sunshowers" of snow due to the high altitude clouds passing over while they deposited flurries, and so it has been a welcome season in general. Nothing unusual here for the climate at that. Although, I do wish we had more of it, a glacial period would be nice.