This time, last year, we were just starting to get vaccines more widely available. Remember, the stories of people in Chicago driving down to Carbondale for a vaccine?

This time last year, people were debating which was better–Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson&Johnson. United Center was opened up as a mass vaccination site. John Legend was a spokesman for vaccines at Walgreens.

This time last year, I didn’t have two Moderna shots yet. But I was on the waiting list! The delta variant, the Omicron variant, and the need for boosters, was in the future.

This time last year was brutal cold and snow, cold and more snow. There was a deep freeze and power outages in Texas. In Chicago, there was so much snow, there were problems with ice dams and roofs collapsing.

This time last year, in Oak Park, I was shoveling 18 inches of snow! O’hare Airport reported 17 inches. Here’s the post I wrote about it last year.

This year, there is once again snow in the forecast. The totals are still uncertain, at this time, but there may be rain and freezing rain before the snow.

This year, the last full moon of meteorological winter rises on February 16—Wednesday night. It’s also called the snow moon. And yes, meteorological spring begins March 1!