Full Moon

I had to actually step outside last night to take these pictures and boy, was it cold.

A New Day

Woke up way earlier than usual today, just as the sun was breaking over the horizon.

Waxing Gibbous

A waxing gibbous moon lies between a half moon and a full moon.

Full moon tomorrow--maybe that's why I've been feeling a bit perturbed these last couple of days?

Snow Bird

Woke up to a blanket of snow. It's still snowing.

Blueberry Pancakes

Things are looking quite drab today. All the snow is gone, which makes everything look gray and spent. I was feeling a little low and then I remembered the blueberries I had picked last summer. The birds get the lion's share but I like to eat them right off the bush and then pick a bunch to freeze. They are great in pancakes and that's what I made myself for lunch. I've perked up a bit now.

Hello, Deer

A herd of deer just stopped by. There were eight of them--even though they travel together peacefully they were quite clearly divided into three family groups. Deer are fairly gentle creatures except when they get territorial about food, so as a diplomatic measure I flung corn at three separate locations. This proved satisfactory to all.

Wind, Rain, and Other Pleasures

Last night, the temperature climbed into the high 40s and the winds gusted high enough that trees lost large branches. By the time winter is over there will be plenty of fallen branches (my poor, poor picnic table). And it rained so hard that when I looked out this morning all the snow was gone and the lake was no longer frozen solid.

It feels like spring right now (in the low 50s today) but the forecast is back into the low 30s tonight and into the usual 20s by tomorrow night. I enjoy these unexpected bursts of freak weather. Without the constant stimulation of living in the city, I take such pleasure in daily variations of weather and landscape.

Fogged in

I love it when I wake up, look out, and the world around me is shrouded in fog. Today is one of those days--black and white stillness.

Sunset

Once in a while we get spectacular sunsets--I have no idea what atmospheric conditions cause them. They seem out of place in this wintry landscape but I'm not one to look a gift horse in its mouth.

Anybody home?

Here are a couple of visitors--the chipmunk was the first one to stop by and peer through the door, back in the fall. Since then I've had a few more. The woodpecker comes by often (I believe it's a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, because of it's distinctive red skull cap). I feel like inviting them in, specially now that it's cold, but I do have my limits. It's hard to resist when they tilt their head to the side like that--such a wistful pose.

Free Lunch!

I have a bird feeder right outside the glass doors to the deck. I originally had a nice birdhouse, hanging on a tree, that the guy who painted my house had given me (he painted it the same color as the house!) but other critters were eating ALL the seed overnight. I wouldn't have minded if they left some for the birds but no, they had to eat every little seed, and it was pain to fill it every day. So my solution was to get a bird feeder that I could bring in every night. Brilliant, right?

Except the squirrels have no problem climbing it and because the birds spill seed on the deck, I began to get all kinds of visitors stopping by for lunch and peering at me through the glass (I'll post some of those pictures some time in the future, they are pretty funny). The upside is that now I get even more photo opportunities without having to actually step outside--I just have to remember to keep the glass clean.

By the way, the birdie in the middle picture was taking an after-lunch nap, looking quite content.

Hungry Deer

The deer have been looking hungry lately. With all this snow on the ground they stick their snouts way deep looking for the grass that's still there. I got some deer corn for them (dried corn kernels) and whenever I see them come around I step out on the deck and fling a bunch on the snow. They perk up when they see me opening the sliding door to the deck and the mama deer stands her ground and just calmly gazes at me but the young ones take off and won't come back until I'm inside the house.

Do you see how shaggy their coats look? In the summer they are a beautiful smooth, glossy brown but their winter coat is fluffier and greyer.

Ice Storm

Loud cracking sounds woke me up yesterday morning and when I looked out, the sun was blazing and everything was covered in ice--it looked like an alien landscape. The sun reflecting on the ice was so blinding it made the two top images look almost black and white--the light was that brilliant. The ice was already melting because of the sun and huge chunks kept dropping and sounding like rifle shots.