Winter is Finally Here!

But wait ... hasn't winter been here for two months?

When I think of winter I think of soft white snow, blanketing the fields and the housetops, creating a cozy environment inside your warm house as you cradle your steaming mug of hot chocolate and watch the atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals falling outside.

But, unfortunately, winter doesn't necessary guarantee snow, as we learned painfully this past December of 2021. To my recollection, not a single flake of snow fell during the entire month, leaving us with only disappointing temperatures and leafless trees. Snow and ice, though relatively little, did come on the first of January, New Years of 2022, and thus began a rather snowy winter!

I was very happy when we got another 3 inches of snow later in January, and now, on February 5, we have somewhere between 7 - 10 inches lying around our yard in drifts. ! It's so nice to wake up in the morning, expectantly awaiting a sunrise that would bring you a view of everything white -- which, as aforementioned, is the proper look for winter.

Another thing I really enjoy about winter are **drumroll** -- the birds! As a gift for my last birthday, one of the things I received was a greatly anticipated birdfeeder, which I promptly filled with birdseed and hung outside a sun-room window -- in full view so we could watch the adorable phoebes, bold bluejays, and stunning cardinals.

So far, if my bird documenting skills are correct, I've seen quite a few Eastern Phoebes. Here is one who braved the danger on the ground for a snack.

Unfortunately, the bird itself is in slight danger of becoming a snack, thanks to our very sweet, adorable, and innocent looking cat, Ebony.

Ebony has an unfortunate tendency to ... well, be a cat. Whenever she sees a bird she'll creep up and eventually pounce. So far she hasn't successfully caught any birds, thankfully. The birdfeeder was not intended as bait. XD

Getting outside and playing in the snow is so much fun, especially when there are huge drifts to be discovered ...

... and annihilated.

Well, there's an update on us enjoying the beginning of 2022! Go have fun in the snow, whenever there's some available, and stay warm! 

(Two things you can easily do together ;)

Chloe