Winter Predictions

Cupcake and I have noticed a few signs around The Acre here lately, and wanted to share our winter prediction. You heard it here first.....
There are four signs that are screaming bad winter, and all of them you can see from the back porch of the house.

Pine cones, and a lot of them, in bunches.

Pine cones heavy, but only in the tops of the pine tree. None down low

Maple trees are already turning, have been since the last week of August

And our friends the spiders, they are all building webs in the tops of trees and on the high spots of the house, which really excites Cupcake (that was sarcasm, Sheldon).
Everyone has heard that the wooly worm is suppose to be the winter prediction gold standard, but since we have a yard full of chickens, wooly worms are nowhere to be found. We can't say if it will be a winter of ice, snow, or just plain cold, but as they say on Game of Thrones  "Prepare yourselves, winter is coming".
K&K