Yesterday's snowstorm suggests otherwise, but spring is going to be early this year.

You can take it from us, because we took it from as reliable a source as there is, and we don't mean that moth-eaten phoney seer, Punxsutawney Phil.

That particular woodchuck or groundhog was self-absorbed and overhyped long before the Bill Murray's "Groundhog Day." But at least the movie clearly showed how foolish it is for people to put any stock in this or any rodent for either seeing or not seeing his — hers? its? — shadow and deducing from the presence or absence of same that winter will either end right away or linger for six weeks.

No, compared to Phil (and fils), our source is legit. It is a pair of robins. The pair that caught our eye Tuesday were working hard gathering dried grass and twigs for the nest they started building in the eaves of the house.

That they arrived back in their summer home from the south in the middle of February — about a month ahead of their typical timing — tells us that winter is all but over.

Unlike the Phil foolishness, the robins can be counted on. They're either dead right or they're dead.

A miscalculation gets them here too soon before the ground begins to thaw and they starve, according to a corollary of the "early bird/worm" rule. Too late and the best nesting condos are gone.

As soon as the nest is ready, they put little blue eggs in it. The quicker that's done, the quicker the neonatal robins can begin growing from the protein-rich bugs and worms the parents get (early bird/worm again) — and the quicker that happens, the quicker they can stumble from the nest and get to flying, which gives them a better chance of surviving the onslaught of the predators — crows, hawks and jays that feast on eggs and nursery birds.

That's why parent robins get here as soon as it's safe. They cut it close but don't miscalculate too often.

We'd put our stock in them anytime. For their sake and ours, we hope they're right.

Gloucester artist gives gift of Helen Keller bust

Local sculptor Daniel Altshuler has donated a plaster bust of Helen Keller to the Perkins Museum of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. Keller attended the school, which was established in 1829.

The bust depicts Keller (1880-1968) in her later years, during the time she traveled and wrote extensively to promote understanding of the world of people who are blind, deaf or both, according to a press release.

On Valentine's Day, Altshuler delivered his gift. When asked why he chose to create the bust in plaster, the artist replied that white captures the movement of light.

To achieve an authentic three-dimensional depiction of Keller, Altshuler studied photographs and films of her to study the movements of the woman who would show the world how far a blind person could go. Keller graduated from Radcliffe College in Cambridge and went on to author several books as well as take part in many political movements of her time.

Altshuler, a member of the National Sculpture Society and the Portrait Society of America, came to Gloucester in 1985, when he met 20th century American sculptor Walker Hancock during a visit to his Lanesville studio. The young man would work as Hancock's assistant for 13 years.

A few years ago, Altshuler was commissioned to make portrait busts of the former President Jimmy Carter and his first lady, Rosalynn Carter.

Know Your Neighbor: chantey singers

The next program of Gloucester Lyceum's Know Your Neighbor takes place Monday at 7 p.m. at Sawyer Free Library, featuring Peter and Joanne Souza of Essex who lead a sea chantey group, Three Sheets to the Wind. The program will be hosted by Leslie Wind.

"Joanne is an accomplished musician doing her best to enhance Peter's social skills and unique vocals," according to a past press release written by Peter Souza.

The group has performed at many events, particularly those related to sea music, its history and its value to life during the era of the great sailing vessels. They have performed aboard vessels such as the USCG Eagle, Bluenose and others. They have performed at the Portsmouth Maritime Festival, Gloucester's Schooner Festival, Rockport's First Night and at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.

They can be heard at Cameron's Restaurant in Gloucester every Tuesday starting about 8:30 p.m.

Both are involved with Schooner Adventure, as well as other diverse interests. Joanne is a master gardener through the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Both enjoy photography and have traveled throughout Maine and Nova Scotia photographing wildlife as they camped across the area.

But music remains a focal point for the couple. Joanne is classically trained on the flute and has performed throughout New England with various groups. She took up the English concertina after becoming frustrated trying to play the flute on sailing vessels, wind being the culprit. Peter is an accomplished guitarist, among his many talents.

Call for Artists to enter open juried exhibition

The West Hartford Art League will hold a regional juried competition open to artists in New England.

In addition to winning a $500 cash prize as the "Best of Show" winner, the Art League offers the recipient a one-person exhibit during the next year at the Saltbox Gallery. Linden Frederick, a painter from Belfast, Maine, is this year's juror. Frederick is represented by the Forum Gallery in New York City.

Work must be received digitally by April 1. For more information or to download a prospectus, visit the Web site at www.whal.org. The opening will be held Friday, April 18. The West Hartford Art League was founded in 1934 as an art school and incorporated in 1939 as a nonprofit organization.

Gloucester, Lawrence communities come together for fire

The early-morning nightclub fire that left 150 people homeless in Lawrence on Jan. 22 was a crisis with which Gloucester was intimately familiar, having dealt with the destruction of the Lorraine Apartments and Temple Ahavat Achim on Middle Street just the month before.

The Middle Street fire left an unexpected blessing for the Lawrence victims. When the Gloucester Rotary Club realized it had a warehouse full of clothing and furniture, members voted to donate it to Lawrence.

While moving the truckload of clothing was a quick task, officials faced the daunting challenge of transferring four truckloads of furniture and other household goods to Lawrence. They did it in a most unexpected —and community-driven —way.

A 48-foot tractor trailer was donated by Raytheon, and eight inmates and a corrections officer from the Essex County House of Corrections provided the manpower.

A Gloucester homeowner who had just moved to Florida also pitched in, donating the contents of his home to the Lawrence victims. An Andover moving company provided the trucks, and Rotarians packed up the oceanfront home and transferred the whole of it to Lawrence.

Honored veteran

The flag at the Veterans Center will fly this week in honor of World War II veteran William James Shields. Born Dec. 11, 1920, he entered the U.S. Navy on April 12, 1944. A boatswain's mate second class, Shields served at the Naval Supply Depot on Guam.

He was discharged Feb. 13, 1946, and died Feb. 14, 2005.

The flag was requested to fly in his honor by his daughter, Linda Hermon.

Anyone wishing to fly a flag in honor of a deceased veteran can call the Office of Veterans Services at 978-281-9740.