Day 2

Whoo hoooo - heat wave!! Made it all the way up to 8 above!! And it's snowing... again. Hopefully this will not be the six to ten inches of snow they've been forecasting all week. It sure is pretty though.

Went for a walk this morning, and the creek is completely frozen over. The deer have been crossing regularly, as evident by the many tracks and trails they've left across it. Along with the deer tracks, there are also tracks of otter, raccoon, muskrat, snowshoe hare, turkey and a few other unidentifiable birds.

There were also fox tracks in the snow. I followed them up the hill to an old shed and peeked inside. The remains of a pigeon lay on the ground. Looks like the fox had a nice meal of squab in the past day or two.

A Bald Eagle was perched in the old snag at the top of the hill, and a Great Gray Owl flew silently overhead. The eagle flew off as the owl approached and took over the snag. It searched the ground for its next meal, then suddenly it plunged to the ground; returning to it's perch to gobble up a small rodent it had caught. Then it too flew off, perhaps in search of a more secluded dining area.

There are 25 or 30 White Tail Deer gathered in the pasture at the foot of the hill. The grass is barely visible from beneath the snow, but they still look fat and sleek. WInter has been good to them so far.

Back home and at my desk, watching about seven flickers vying for a turn at the suet. They're very handsome birds, with their bold, black collar, polka-dotted breasts and the bright orange feather shafts - that are only seen when they spread their tail feathers. A few of the Flickers are relinquished to the sunflower seed, which they do seem to like, but with the colder weather they've been gobbling up the suet like there's no tomorrow - need to make more! They, along with the single Downy Woodpecker, have become my only visitors this winter. Normally I have House Finches, Goldfinches and Pine Siskins too, but even they've gone south. Haven't even seen a Magpie lately...

I've been going through some my computer files and was reading through some of the things I've written in the past. Sometimes I really surprise myself with some of it, it's pretty darn good - and others... well, I don't know what in the world I was thinking when I wrote them. Guess it was just one of those days when I allowed my wild imagination to run with a crazy idea. One of these days I'll actually try and get some of this stuff published somewhere.

Well, guess I'd better get the snow pants and boots on and go out to shovel the driveway. I've had a reprieve for a few days, but I knew it was too good to be true!

Only 77 days until Spring!!

Happy New Year!

As the sun rises on a new year, take time to reflect on the old. Think of the things you learned, new friends you made, and old friends who passed on. Look ahead to the new year - what will you carry with you and what will you discard? Fresh hope for peace and prosperity, for new adventures and for happiness to us all.

While the thermometer may say it's cold outside, the sky is clear and sunny. My husky Sadie is sprawled out in the snow, enjoying the cold weather, while Kizzy, my Australian Shepherd, is sprawled out on the couch next to me, enjoying the pile of pillows. As I sit in front of the living room window, the sun streams in, making me feel warm and comfy. I'll take it as a good omen for the coming year.

Woke up very early this morning and poked my head out the back door. From somewhere nearby I heard a Great Horned Owl hooting. This is their mating season and within a month or so they'll be raising chicks. It's so curious to me why they would be raising a family in the dead of winter, when all of the other birds have the sense to wait for warmer weather. So much for the "wise old owl" theory! Then again, at this time of year there are fewer predators for their chicks and less competition for food. Ok, so maybe they're not so crazy after all.