First came a tease of spring, then northeasters, and then there was snowfall. Today the Vineyard awoke to a temperature of 19 degrees. It's been enough to drive anyone mad.

But if you think no one has fun around here in the month of March, consider the otters. After the recent snowfall that buried the early spring flowers, the woods of West Tisbury were streaked with otter slides. The long slides followed the woodland paths, wended across fields and schussed their way into streams. It was a picture of pure joy, and easy to imagine the otters having a field day out there, sliding along the snowy white trails that they owned for just a day. Or a night. Or both.

Memo to March: April is coming.