We will remember this New England winter, at least to date, as a season more than unusual and almost absent of snow. Island warming is the talk of the Vineyard. Temperatures this past week have reached the 50s, with a high of 70 last weekend.

This weekend brought a return to winter, to falling temperatures and snow again. But who can complain with the scent of spring in the air and enough seasonal confusion to fool plants and people alike. The rhythms of this Island winter seem particularly muddled.