BRRRRR!

Winter blew in with a vengence! After several days of below zero weather (think wind chills somewhere in the neighborhood of -20), with blowing and drifting snow, we finally settled in to more normal patterns of snow, sunshine, melting, snow, sunshine, etc. Two days ago the snow was blinding in the sun, with almost spring-like temperatures, yesterday was warm but overcast, and today is cold, gray and stormy over the mountains. Typical Montana; if you don't like the weather just wait ten minutes - it'll change!

If you're not a skier or snowmobiler, you may think of winter in Montana as a huge inconvenience. It's cold, the roads are icy and it's a toss of the coin whether or not your car will start. And those days when the sky is a bright, clear blue and and the sun is shining turn out to be incredibly deceptive when you step outside into biting cold air that almost literally takes your breath away. But winter only makes us that much more appreciative of the warmer weather, even though it usually arrives way too late and departs way too early. It always seems that just as you're on the verge of a serious case of "Cabin Fever" spring suddenly peeks out and says "Gotcha!!"

My only real complaint so far is that I've had to shovel my long driveway several times already - by hand. Every year I ask Santa for a small, manageable snow blower, but apparently I haven't been good enough during the year...

I try to take winter on face to face (and yes, sometimes it's a real stretch). I still enjoy making snow angels and snow sculptures. I say 'snow sculptures' because anyone can make a snowman. I prefer to try my hand at other "critters" like dragons and dolphins. It's a little bit more of a challenge because the snow needs to be packed much tighter to hold the sculpture in place, but if you pack it too tight, you'll crumble the entire thing!

Photography during the cold winter months can be challenging, but well worth the trouble.

I also feed the birds in the winter and my feeders are full of Flickers, Magpies, Chickadees, Ring-Necked Doves, Pine Siskins, Goldfinches (in their winter coats), House Finches, a Downey Woodpecker, Gray Partridges, and this year I've been treated to an Eastern Blue Jay! Tracks in the snow tell me that deer and mice also frequent the feeders at night to gobble up any seed left on the ground by the birds.

Winter Solstice is December 21, at which time the days begin to get longer - and there are only 98 days until Spring!!