The streets of Boothbay Harbor were abuzz with the hum of heavy machinery on December 16, as public works crews and local dirt contractors leveled the heaping snow drifts that swept through town last weekend.

The nor'easter that dropped 8 to 10 inches of snow on the region reassured us that not only would we most likely enjoy a white Christmas, but Old Man Winter would be sticking around for a while. Love it or hate it, warming up the car and scraping off the windshield will likely be the morning ritual for a few more months.

“We got a lot of snow this weekend, which kept my guys busy,” said Jody Lewis, the Boothbay Harbor Public Works director.

Town dump trucks deposited piles of excess snow into the parking lot by the footbridge Monday morning, and Lewis anticipated that most the roads would be cleared by late afternoon on December 16.

Over at Good ‘N You Fuel and Service, Ronnie Babcock had hopped on his tractor and got to work moving the mountains of snow from his parking lot.

“Hey, you want this snow?” Babcock joked. “I've got plenty.”

While the winter season brings bitter temperatures and expensive heating bills that make many of us cringe, snow enthusiasts welcome the cold weather months.

‘Tis the season for snowshoeing, said Doug Roberts of Oak Street Provisions. Roberts, who remains active during the winter months, recommended several moderate snowshoe excursions that skirt the shore: Linekin Preserve, Ovens Mouth Preserve in Boothbay and Dodge Point preserve in Newcastle.

So far the constant shoveling and gathering of firewood hasn't gotten the best of Roberts yet, but there's comes a time, he said, when the winter doldrums can get a bit tiring. 

The Farmers' Almanac has predicted a frigid winter in New England for 2013 and 2014, and although the Farmer’s Almanac does not always call the shots correctly, you better bundle up, because so far, they're dead on.