I suspect many of you won’t agree, but I, for one, was thrilled to see the return of winter today. Southborough got only a dusting of snow this morning, but it’s the most we’ve had all season – if you don’t count the October Nor’easter, that is.

Alas, forecasters say it’s not going to last. The flakes still falling this morning are expected to turn to rain, and that will likely wash away any accumulation we have. Enjoy it while it lasts.

(Click an image in the gallery to enlarge.)

The opportunity to take photos around town is one of the things I love most about running this blog. Even more, I love getting your photos. Here are some of my favorite shots – yours and mine – from stories that made headlines in 2011.

Click a thumbnail in the gallery below to enlarge.

It was a perfect day for Santa’s arrival at St. Mark’s field on Saturday, and his fans were out in force. Here are some photos from the weekend celebration. (Click to enlarge)

The Old Burial Ground nestled between Pilgrim Church and the Southborough Library has been a place of fascination for me for as long as I can remember. The cemetery has stones dating back as far as 1730. It was at the town’s very first Town Meeting in 1727 that the land was set aside as a final resting place for our earliest settlers. So much history in one small parcel.

Wander through the graveyard and you’ll see familiar names like Fay, Johnson, Newton, and Onthank. You’ll find the grave of Nathan Stone, pastor of Southborough’s first church. You’ll also see the remnants of family tragedies. Ferdinand Collins who died in 1828 aged “3 years & 3 days.” Two infant boys buried together in a single grave in 1817. Soldiers, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, many taken before their time.

I took a stroll through the cemetery on a recent crisp November morning, camera in hand. Here are some of my photos from that day. (Click an image to enlarge.)

Read more about the history of the Old Burial Ground on the Southborough Historical Society website.

Many of you sent in (or tweeted) photos of your yards and other scenes of Southborough after the October snowfall this weekend. Here’s a gallery of your shots (click an image in the gallery to enlarge).

Southborough photographer Chris Wraight ventured out on Sunday morning to snap some shots of the snowfall around town. It’s Southborough like you’ve never seen it … except that most of you did see it. Still, have a look at the amazing photos (click a thumbnail in the gallery to enlarge).

My daughter encountered this gorgeous metallic specimen at her preschool last week. It was alive when she found it, but eventually met its maker (through natural causes), which made it oh-so-much easier to photograph.

Check out that iridescent green and blue. Breathtaking. Anyone know what it is?

I forgot to include something in the photo to give you a sense of scale, but I can tell you this guy wasn’t particularly big. The stinger looks menacing, but he (she?) was only about the size of a small fly.

I have an idea of what it might be after doing some Googling, but what do you think? Have you encountered this insect before?

The Southborough Library celebrated 100 years in its Main Street home on Saturday with food, photos, and lots of memories. Residents and library staff enjoyed apple cake – a Friends of the Southborough Library specialty – while browsing photo displays and telling stories of the way things were.

At the start of the celebration, Childrens Librarian Kim Ivers – who, for those of you who didn’t know, has herself been with the library for more than 20 years – named the winners of the library’s photo, essay, and coloring contest. Charlotte Roiter, 7, won for her coloring, Rianna Mukerhee, 10, for her photograph, and Victoria Haskins, 9, for her essay about “what the library means to me.”

Check out some photos of the celebration below (including one of a newspaper clipping that features a 4-year-old me at story hour). Click an image to enlarge.

A couple dozen volunteers showed up at the new South Union Playground yesterday armed with shovels and rakes to help spread a mountain of mulch around the playground equipment. Volunteers included scouts from Cub Scout Troop 921, Southborough Rotary members, kids getting in their community service hours, and other residents.

Spreading mulch was the last big task that needed to be finished up before the playground opens. Recreation Director Doreen Ferguson said she just needs to hang the swings and finish up a few other odds and ends and then it will be ready for use. She said she hopes to hold an opening ceremony in the next couple of weeks.

I stopped by on Sunday to take some photos of all the hard work. See for yourself (click an image to enlarge).

Southborough photographer Chris Wraight (www.thawkspix.com) sent along a collection of photos from recent Algonquin games, including the girls soccer season opener against Shrewsbury on Tuesday (they lost 2-1).  And since I haven’t had a chance to post them before now, I’ve also included some shots from last week’s football season-opener win and a field hockey match against Burncoat.

Click any image to enlarge.

Don’t forget, Algonquin football is at Wachusett tonight starting at 7:00 pm, and Assabet takes on Ayer at home also at 7:00 pm.