On the Home Front

The sun is so low in the sky that even the sparrows have shadows

Got to get the stable cleaner going today. It has been frozen for several days. There will be forks and shovels involved. Got to pay some bills. Got to call in the cutting instructions for the beef. The latter is a job I truly hate and wish I could shuffle off onto someone who understood meat cutting better than I do. We always end up with weird odds and ends that I know I didn't order.....

But, we have a heat wave. The kitchen floor is warm enough that it doesn't burn bare feet. It is a whopping 18.8 degrees outside, practically summer. It has been so cold lately that normally shy birds will come right to my feet because they are so eager to see the feeders filled. Thus I got the first decent pics of ever of dark-eyed juncos.

And last night as I sat here at the kitchen table a faint hint of wood smoke, twirled our way by winds from the south, reminded me of incense in church on high holy days, very sweet and mysterious. It was nice.

The low tonight is supposed to be 28, warmer than we have seen in what feels like a long time. As nearly always at the retreat of a cold snap, there is supposed to be some lousy weather, but warm is welcome.