Walking past piles of dirty snow yesterday, I felt like I was in a construction zone.

There were mechanical teeth marks in the snow, the signs of big-shovel scraping and the variegated curve that comes from a bulldozer shoving. There were salt crystals from the ice storm and sand grit from the snowstorm. There was gravel embedded in the snow mounds beside the road.

But right nearby was green grass showing, icy ponds melting, warm sun shining. 

A big battle has been waged. Winter is on the wane — and spring, we think, is winning.