Observations on a Snowy Day: #4

Most of the squirrels and birds had taken cover by the time the snow really started coming down hard, but this little guy was determined not to miss out on his breakfast.

Observations on a Snowy Day: #3

Have you ever really looked at snowflakes? Usually they are just a fluffy mass of white, or sometimes little bitty snowballs. I have always thought it was rather sad that you have to look under a microscope to see their wonderful six-sidedness. Today however, the snowflakes looked like snowflakes!

Click on this picture to see it close up. Really look at it. :)

Observations on a Snowy Day: #2

A young cardinal seems to have taken up residence in the back
yard. I saw him for the first time yesterday sleeping in the food
bowl, sleeping under the rose bushes, and sleeping in the trumpet vine.
This morning when I looked outside very early he was curled up on the
frozen, snowy surface of the copper bird bath which is on the fence. I
hope he's ok.

Observations on a Snowy Day: #1

I have always noticed that our squirrels seem to be very nervous about
walking on new snow, but this was the first time I have noticed them
using the little stone divider, that separates the roses from the rest
of the garden, as a highway.

Lucky

This is a new squirrel to the back yard, it is too gray to be Sable, and it isn't dark enough to be our black squirrel. At some point it looks to have had a run in with a cat or hawk because there is some major scaring on its back. It has already learned not to run off when I go out to the shed to get the seed for the feeders. :)

Poofs! ~ and other snowy things that make me smile :)

It is very difficult to put into words how bouncy I feel when I see things like huge snowflakes falling from the sky, cottony azalea bushes, or snow melting in strange and wonderful ways. Spring will be beautiful in its time, but for now I will rejoice in the glories of winter.

Poofy snowflakes.


A poofy azalea bush.


A mixture of squirrel tracks, and the holes made by melting snow dripping off of the branches of the tree.


Small stones warming in the afternoon sun.

He's Back!!!

I guess this squirrel must want food pretty badly because he's back! :)

Black Squirrel has a Scary Day

We have been so happy to have our black squirrel back, but I'm not sure how long he will stay around if he has many more days like today. The morning started off with a Red-shoulderd Hawk swooping in to disturb his breakfast. The hawk didn't stay long, (and didn't actually hurt anything) but things were definately tense for a while. When things began to calm down, the squirrel made his way to a sunny spot on the fence to rest a bit... Funny, I just realized that this is the same spot where the hawk had come to roost just a few minutes before.

Just a few minutes after I took this picture, the neighbor's Jack Russell came racing outside barking and jumping at the squirrel. The poor little thing nearly fell the wrong way off the fence (ie, towards the dog), then scampered rapidly away.