Dark by 5 p.m., temperatures below freezing, snow, sleet and ice. Bears are in hibernation, and many birds have flown south.

Sometimes, for days on end, it seems that the sky and the ground are the same color, a banal gray.Here’s a cure for cabin fever — a public auction.It’s hard to tell what’s more colorful, the items for sale or the people bidding on them. You will see items sold for $1, and items sold for hundreds of dollars. You will see items that nudge memories from your youth, and also have a chance to pick up items at sometimes unbelievable great prices — such as a tray of hand tools that sold for yes, $1.“It’s free to register, and you can be entertained all day long for free,” said Andrea Arner, as she filled out a buyer card for number 104.Usually at least 100 people attend an auction, and often more for a particularly attractive estate sale, she said.“The only time you would spend money is if you buy something, or want to get some food.”Andrea is the wife of auctioneer, Dean Arner.In April 2015, they purchased a firehouse at 315 Snowdrift Road, Andreas, where auctions are held usually Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Cash, traveler’s checks, cashier’s checks or personal and company checks (in state only) are accepted.On this day, the auction will begin with items from tables lining both sides of the hall, from several different estates, before continuing to a sale of items from an estate that features items from Jim Thorpe/Mauch Chunk.Dean Arner, with a row of pens stacked in a pocket of his dress shirt and a soda and iced tea at the ready if needed, takes up the traditional gavel and gets the auction started. His eyes constantly scan the crowd as people make bids, some by a wave of their green registrant card, some by little more than a definite nod.The array of items is diverse, ranging from women’s hats and gloves, Barbie dolls, Cabbage Patch dolls, Lionel trains, old license plates, leather postcards, cigar flags, tools, beer signs, paintings, dishes and glasses, furniture, power tools, hand tools and so much more.Allen Iverson bobble head, anyone?Dean Arner is an auctioneer, perhaps stand-up comedy could have been a secondary career choice. As helpers walk up front with a collection of dolls, including circus performers, he jokes, “Well, we just had a clown sighting in Andreas.”As the auction continues, he often comments with dry humor on some of the items, and greets many of the bidders by name. It’s a family-friendly atmosphere with people of all ages attending.While you’re taking a look at auctions to attend, don’t overlook these other local auctioneers:• Houser Auctioneers, New Ringgold: Founded by Curtis Houser in 1943, this three-generation business now hosts about 100 auctions a year. The company specializes in selling real estate (and house contents) at public auction, with a focus on attaining fair market value for the property.Houser Auctioneers also sells collectibles, coins, weapons, farm primitives and farm equipment at locations in Lehighton and Schnecksville.• R.A. Arner Auctioneers, New Ringgold: Established in 1957, this company is also a three-generation business. They do public auction of real estate (and house contents) and also have auctions of coins, jewelry, guns, automobiles and business liquidations.Auctions are held at the Community Center in Kempton.