Winter

Skies should clear enough tonight to reveal a bright moon, which reached official fullness at 12:45 a.m. this morning. February's full moon comes with a passel of folk names, all evocative of winter's danger and deprivation. Some of our ancestors called it the Snow Moon, which makes sense given February's history of big snowfalls. Others knew it as the Wolf Moon, a frightening suggestion of predators circling our settlements in the moonlight. For many whose winter stores were dwindling, it was the Hunger Moon.

JUDY WINTER died on Sunday, December 3, 2006. She lived in Amarillo, Texas and was the beloved daughter of the late Joseph Schaffer and Pauline Schaffer of Parkville, MD. She was the devoted sister of Robert Schaffer also of Parkville, MD. Ms. Winter was born and raised in Parkville and attended Elementary, Middle and High school there. She received a degree from the University of Maryland, and did an internship at Duke University and her Masters from Purdue University. She was a dietitian at Harrington Cancer Center in Amarillo for 20 years, retiring in June, 2006.

Yesterday marked the end of the three-month meteorological winter, and we got off easy. December and January each averaged about 6 degrees above normal at BWI-Marshall, with less than an inch of snow. That changed in February. We managed only a few days of above-normal temperatures, suffered steep utility bills and 8.5 inches of snow at BWI. That's barely half the average winter's snowfall, so we've escaped the worst. So far. Remember, March has produced two of Baltimore's 10 deepest snowstorms.

So far, so good.With December and January past, Baltimore's winter weather has performed as predicted -- mild, with fewer snowstorms than normal.January ended with an average temperature of 35.1 degrees -- 3.3 degrees above normal at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.December was milder, averaging 4.3 degrees warmer than normal. National Weather Service statisticians regard December, January and February as the official winter months.January's temperatures ranged from a low of 7 degrees to a high of 68 degrees, but no records were set; December's from 9 degrees to 77 degrees.

A 19-year-old Towson University student was found drowned yesterday in a pond a block from his Braddock Heights home, the Frederick County sheriff's office said.Philip I. Winter of the 4600 block of Deer Spring Road was discovered about noon yesterday. Police said Winter's body was about 85 feet away from his 1997 Honda Civic, which was found submerged Sunday at 4: 15 p.m.The car was about 8 feet under water, upright and with the passenger's side door open, said Sgt. Tim Clarke of the sheriff's office.

The first hint of spring begins with the light: more light, warmer light. Then the mood: that sensation of waking up and slowly stretching into alert anticipation.The light of March sweeps over sepia fields, illuminates backyard play, burnishes the metal faces of office buildings. And as it travels, none watch more closely than artists -- the painters, photographers and cinematographers whose work depends upon it.Compared to the solid predictability of summer light, the light of spring is itchy, on the move, they say. Some call it "the new light," not so much because it's fresh as because it makes them see things in a novel way.Artist Barry Nemett has explored spring light from his bedroom window in Stevenson.

When they tee it up at Pinehurst No. 2 tomorrow, they'll be playing from what we used to call "one foot in the woods" -- as far back as you can get on this punishing layout.Growing up in Pinehurst in a decade too distant to mention, I saw some of the world's best players -- Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, Terrible Tommy Bolt, Mike Souchak and Jimmy Demaret (who had my father's red hair and the same-shaped face). The best of the British players were there for the Ryder Cup in the 1950s.Jack Nicklaus came to town occasionally and hit balls past the trees at the far end of the driving range, a place of torment for many aptly named Maniac Hill.

Marylanders who bought sport-utility vehicles after the snow-choked winter of 1995-1996 may still be waiting for enough snow to engage the four-wheel drive.Meteorologists say they can blame La Nina for the third winter in a row of mild temperatures and trifling snowfall in Central Maryland.Temperatures at Baltimore-Washington International Airport averaged 37.6 degrees last month, almost 3 degrees above normal. December and January exceeded their norms by wider margins."In fact, you would have to go back four winters, to the winter of 1995-96, to find a [winter]

IF YOU LIVE in a climate where winter is just around the corner, you're probably thinking about getting out winter clothes, taking coats to the dry cleaner and generally preparing yourself for cold weather. You should also be thinking about preparing your house's plumbing.There are few things more annoying, frustrating and potentially dangerous than frozen pipes. It usually happens in a crawl space under the floor or in an exterior wall. A frozen pipe deprives you of an element essential for life, but it also has the potential to break and cause a great deal of damage from flooding.

Observing wildlife, from watching birds at the backyard feeder to photographing forest game, is a popular pastime in Maryland, with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey estimating more than 2 million people in the state are wildlife watchers.According to USFWS' 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, wildlife watchers represent 31 percent of the population in the South Atlantic region, which includes Maryland. The most popular form of wildlife observation is bird watching, often around feeders and bird baths in back yards.

Howard County is offering to improve an unpaved half-mile private road near Marriottsville if the 20 homeowners who use it agree to pay most of the cost. After an inspection Wednesday with public works chief James Irvin, County Executive Ken Ulman told a group of residents the county would do what it can to help. "Hopefully, we'll be able to work out a solution. We'll come up with a plan and we'll work hard to get it done this year," he said. The county is offering a tar and chip paving job that would not bring the road up to county standards but would fill in ruts and then seal the surface for winter.

Patricia A. Winter, a former Chamber of Commerce executive who maintained an interest in the history of Dundalk, died of cancer May 3 at Franklin Square Hospital Center. The Perry Hall resident was 65. Patricia A. Lillis was born in Baltimore and raised in Dundalk. She was a 1961 graduate of Dundalk High School and attended the Johns Hopkins University. "She was a lifelong Dundalkian until moving to Perry Hall nine years ago," said her husband of 30 years, C. Richard Remmey. Mrs. Winter was founder and director of the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce, later Eastern Baltimore Area Chamber of Commerce, for 27 years until stepping down in 2002.

Readers want to know: Now that regulators say BGE's standard household electricity price will be lower for the 2009-2010 winter than it was for the 2008-2009 winter, does it still make sense to switch to a competing offer from Washington Gas Energy Services? Yes. Last winter's default BGE price (about 12 cents per kilowatt hour, not counting delivery) was the highest ever for that season, so being slightly lower for next winter is no big deal. WGES (888-884-9437) will sell you juice for up to three years at 10.8 cents, so it's still the superior offer at least for the next 12 months.

Ten a.m. A phone call from my daughter's school, and instantly the father's mind goes to Dark Foreboding, but no - this is her teacher calling to say that the child scored 96 on the spelling test. The child's instant reward is the phone call home and the words of praise. She sits at her desk pretending not to listen, basking in the acclaim. Well done. Having begotten a good speller is no small matter to a writer. Writing is an act of paying attention, and if you don't care about the difference between "their" and "there" or "needle" and "noodle," then I am sorry for you. The teacher's praise of my child is a large moment in the day. I live with fear, as any parent does.

It's a freezing afternoon and I am at Atwater's in the Belvedere Square Market, having a cup of their delicious soup for lunch in order to maintain the chiseled physique and whippet-like quickness for which I'm known. My wife and I are at a table near the window, a prime spot for people-watching if you're into that sort of thing, and she is. Suddenly I look out and see an astounding sight. There on the sidewalk is a man wearing a fleece, shorts and flip-flops. The temperature outside is now 22 degrees.

Even in sparse January garb, the river is lovely - ebbing, flooding, meandering between shores of unbroken pine and hardwood, splashed by mistletoe and holly in full berry. But the real show is about to begin. As the sun lowers into the wooded swamps on the far bank, there comes a far-off hallooing, yodeling, piping, closing fast, the purest, wildest music of the winter Chesapeake. Flight after flight of tundra swans are on the move, seeking refuge here for their nightly rest. One of the world's largest waterfowl, weighing up to 20 pounds, some 20,000 of the swans migrate to the Chesapeake each autumn from as far off as Alaska's North Slope and the Yukon Territories.

1 Area shot-putter who broke the 50-foot barrier last winter - Brendan Morales of Westminster. 6 Points the Dulaney boys beat Western Tech by in last year's Baltimore County indoor track title meet. 7 Events in which Poly's boys scored en route to winning the Class 2A state title. 11 MIAA titles Mount St. Joseph has won in the past 13 years. The Gaels are the defending champions. 134 Points Seton Keough scored in edging McDonogh for the IAAM team title last winter.

On November 8, 2008, SANDRA E. (nee Winter); beloved mother of John G. Heinlein and his wife Jennifer. Also survived by two grandchildren, Nathan and Kendall Heinlein, her sister Ella W. Merkle and her brother Thomas E. Winter. A Funeral Service will be held at the Lassahn Funeral Home, Inc., 7401 Belair Road, on Saturday at 11 A.M. The family will receive friends on Friday, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. Interment Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.

Now that temperatures - and gas prices - are falling, you might be tempted to exile your bike to the basement or garage until warmer days return. But there's no need. With the right equipment and care, you can continue commuting on two wheels or hitting the trails on weekends. The key, bike enthusiasts say, is the proper clothing - and layering. Start with your head. Penny Trouttner, owner of Light Street Cycles in Federal Hill, recommends a skull cap or a balaclava, a head covering that also protects your neck and fits easily under a helmet.

Entering last offseason, the Orioles were at a crossroads. New club president Andy MacPhail decided an overhaul was needed. MacPhail upgraded the young talent base by dealing Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard for 10 players, including six who received time with the big league club this year. This was supposed to be a season in which the club evaluated what it had in its system. Unfortunately for the organization, the majority of young players either failed the test or received an incomplete grade.