The recent weather has been a struggle for me and many others.

Some folks hibernate like a bear during the worst months of winter. Waking up in the dark and arriving home in the dark takes a toll on our ability to be excited about February activities.

I was so looking forward to the news that spring was around the corner that I specifically watched Punxsutawney Phil's forecast only to have my hopes dashed with a prediction of six more weeks of winter.

Then it dawned on me — I must be coming down with cabin fever. I had all the symptoms: restlessness, forgetfulness, excessive sleeping, feeling tired and an urge to go outside no matter what the weather.

Of course, I tell my buddies that when they complain of these things that they have "old-guy symptoms." The term Cabin fever has been around since the early 1900s, and many references go back to the earlier pioneers of the Alaskan frontier who had to deal with long, dark winters that packed in their cabins with the heavy snows.

If winter has you feeling the fever for spring, there are some interesting things that you can feel your free time with when it snows:

• Jennings Educational Center, at the intersection of Route 8 and Route 528, has a great trail system to walk, and to make it really fun they have snow shoes available for walking in style. The only catch is that you must have 4 inches of snow or better to need the shoes.

The trails also can handle cross country skis for those who want to be more daring in their travels. It gives your legs a great workout, but you are stiff the next day.

• Lakes are frozen, but ice anglers are having a time of it drilling holes in the ice and catching fish at Harbor Acres Lake on Game Lands 95 and Lake Arthur. It requires your 2010 fishing licenses and some specialty equipment, such as drilling augers, tip-ups and small ice-fishing jigging rods. It's not bad on sunny afternoons with no wind, but it can get down right blustery on the ice.

• For hunters who want to try something different, the Western Pennsylvania Coon & Fox Hunters Association in Parker is sponsoring a coyote hunt Feb. 19 to 21. There is a registration fee and participants must have a valid hunting license or fur-takers license. For information, call John at 724.794.6890.

Interest among hunters in preying on coyotes is growing annually and many seminars and videos are focusing on predator hunting.

• The Moniteau FFA is having its fourth annual Field, Fish and Game Night Friday at Moniteau High School.

In keeping with the current interest in predator species, the event will feature Smokey McNicholas, who hails from the hills of West Virginia (do you think he knows anything about cabin fever?). He'll be doing a seminar on coyote calling, snaring and hunting.

Another well known name among deer hunters will be on hand. No, not Jay Hewitt. Instead, it's Jim Riggle, the guy who harvested the Tionesta Giant. Jim will provide expert advice and the best-kept secret that will change your way of scouting forever.

Activities begin at 5:30 p.m. and there is an admission fee of $2, children under 12 are admitted free.

So no matter whether you want to be an active participant or an observer, there are some activities to fill the winter doldrums until the snow melts and we start to get out the garden seeds and fishing gear in earnest.