There’s always a point around the time that winter comes to an end where you can feel confident saying that the worst of the winter weather is behind you. Sometimes, especially in New England, you can be proven wrong by a surprise snowstorm or cold stretch.

After a few over-60 days and clocks switching forward for the season, it’s hard to think otherwise. Spring is coming.

It’s probably time to get my car looked at, and maybe think about new tires for the spring. I can move some of the plants in my apartment out of their strategically-warm winter strongholds. Shovels can start to go away, and ice scrapers can be placed back in the trunk. The transition can be tedious, but worth the exchange in longer days and fewer layers.

Winter Affects Dry Skin

Something that I am always ready to say goodbye to is the destitute state of my knuckles and hands after a few months of brutal cold. In past years, I’ve been plagued by cracks, chapped skin, and general discomfort from the effects of cold weather on the skin.

Again, this is preaching to the choir for anyone that lives in the Northeast or anywhere else that’s cold, though around here we take a certain pride in having to buckle down for cold snaps. It’s not just the cold air, it’s the dry air that removes any hope of keeping skin moist in the winter months. It’s also funny to complain about considering how offensively humid it gets in the summer, but at least in those times, you aren’t dealing with cracked hands.

With the only upside being that you could maybe convince someone that you’ve been on the winning end of a fistfight, I think the value of comfort edges out the potential for fabricated false badassery. I’ve tried a few remedies (usually something my mom finds in the glove compartment of her car and insists I put on), but am often averse to greasy lotions or the practice of maintaining.