It's beginning to look a lot like ...

It is beginning to be that season again, in New Jersey, where things become stark and the snow and wind try to punish those silly enough to stay here through winter.

Here in Basking Ridge, nestled in Northwest Jersey, it is biting and brittle. But, for native Jerseyians, it is more of the same. Long ago, such people became accustomed to the winter battles against snow and ice.

Yes, there will be blizzards and snowed-in conditions. At some point, roads will be impassable as a veritable army of snow plows and salt and sand trucks will rumble out of their garages for their annual war.

At some point, the lights will go out. There will be concern about melting snow later on. Meanwhile, residents will swear loudly and complain about the snow, inept lawmakers, inept road crews and their time off work.

There is another end of the spectrum, of course. Young children will be all aglow at the terrible weather to come. Because they will build snow people, sleigh ride, snow board and even ski on the frozen over patches that will be everywhere.

I think I used to enjoy all of it very much, aside from driving here or there. In Jersey, no one cares if there is 50-feet of snow on the ground, they expect you at work and on time. It's fairly unreasonable really.

I have spent so many winters with snow I cannot wait until my Florida move and the promise of sunshine and 70 degrees during the dog days of winter. If for no other reason, fair weather in the wintertime will be an enormous and welcome novelty.