No signs of spring, sadly, in fact came home from Boston to a storm which has continued but will hopefully blow over tomorrow. Really long for some green now.
What birds are common in your area?

Well, I'll have to translate from the Swedish to English, and these are just the common birds around here...(I think you are a birder Savaici, so I will put the latin names too!)
Bjцrktrast (Swed)- Fieldfare(Eng) - Turdis pilaris
Sidensvans(Swed)- Bohemian Waxwing - Bombycilla garrulus
Talgoxe (Swed) - Great Tit - Parus major
Skata (Swed) - Eurasian Magpie - Pica pica
Those are common ones, and then I've seen some other occassional birds like Golden Eagles and Snowy Owls.
Have you ever seen a bear in the wild?

I have driven through some state parks, but I don't think I have ever seen a bear in the wild! Very impressed with your Latin words (coming from a person who used to participate in Latin tournaments :roll: )!!
When does warmer weather usually arrive in your area?

Warmer weather!! HA!! Nine months of winter, three months of bad skiing weather, as they say up here. It does not really arrive here for real until June, then it geys really hot for a while. Appreciated when it arrives though.
Oooh! Bumbutt, I have to say that I have seen a bear in the wild. Each year, in my garden. I will have to put pic up as my profile of the visiting bear. And love the bird names. Can't remember any Danish names. And I am definitely a birder.
What is your favourite sound?

I looked those bird names up, so I definitely didn't pull the latin out of my head! It's hard to learn birds in new places...
I'm with you on the weather... they say here that summer is the month where you don't know which ski wax to use. The mean temps are highest here in July and August... around 62F.
I like the sound of a small brook babbling away. It is so relaxing!!
How far away is the nearest nature area from where you live?

That's probably my problem. I'm too far away from nature!! There are some "nature" areas about 10 miles away from me, but I never visit those places. That is what I liked about staying at a resort which was 300 yards away from the the Gulf of Mexico.
Do these long, cold winter months (almost over :D ) create problems for your skin (dryness, etc.)?

Oh, that's too bad the nature areas are so far away!
Yes, I was just applying extra strong (and expensive!) moisturizer to my legs last night - it's like pain medication! - you have to stay on top of the dryness in order to prevent it. If it starts, it's tougher to deal with it.
Do you do your own taxes or do you go to HRBlock (or similar)?

I have a cut on my heal right now due to dryness! We have an accountant do our taxes.
If you could be any professional athlete, who would you choose to be? Alternate question, which professional athlete do you most admire?

I wish I knew something about professional athletes, but I confess that I don't. So, I will say that I admire my eldest sister who broke a high jumping record when she was 14! And where we were living at the time, there were about 4 million people, so I think she qualifies.
Who in the political spectrum do you admire...or alternate question, do you have a hero in your life?

I think high jumping would be very difficult!!
I did admire JFK years ago. I guess the heroes in my life now are ones that have also been (and are) involved in autism advocacy--Ruth Christ Sullivan, who lives in West Virginia, and Temple Grandin, probably the most prolific author and also one of the most visible persons with autism . The movie about her life--Temple Grandin--was great, and Claire Dannes did a wonderful job of portraying a person with autism!!
Do you believe that there is life on other planets/galaxies? Alternate question--have you ever witnessed a severe weather event--tsunami, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, etc.?