The weather has turned cold and damp. Bone chilling dampness that makes your body hurt all over. I got out my snow boots. I should have gotten out my parka too. Hindsight is twenty twenty or perhaps I am delusional and think it will warm up.
The snow brought out the Juncos to the grass under the feeders. The Blue Jays are passing through too, I hope they don’t stay. Squirrels and Blue Jays can be within a foot of each other and still not be bothered.
There are still a bunch of leaves in the trees.
There is a Red Bellied Woodpecker in that tree.
Our usual birds are still here; Nuthatches, Chickadees and Woodpeckers…Downy, Hairy and Red Bellied.
This is a female Downy Woodpecker…they have a shorter beak than the Hairys.
We put the snow stick up yesterday. We will have some fun with that and have a snow stick contest like last year and the year before. This year the stick has larger numbers…for us older people.
Far Guy got the Wild Gardens all mowed down.
Someone got some snow on his ears. It is that time of year that makes dog owners nervous. The skunks are out. The other night we saw two running along the road and there are sail skunks ( dead as a door nail flatter than a pancake and uber smelly) on the roads…and we all cheer…well Chance would cheer if he could. I take Chance out at night on leash only. Far Guy is braver and goes outside and barks and then takes Chance out off leash. I question that…better safe than sorry I say…but they are males and I am out numbered. It will almost be a relief when we finally get a foot or more of snow on the ground and the skunks go into their semi hibernation state. It will be warmer once the snow blankets the ground too:)
What a cute picture of Chance! We got snow but now it's plus 13 C again and warm...
ReplyDeleteMorning, so far so good here, nice weekend coming up, still have outdoor chores to do......Skunks running amuck, oh no, glad you keep Chance on a leash. , love the Downy, great picture, Blessings Francine.
ReplyDeleteLove the picture of Chance with snow on his head. Most of my birds seemed to have disappeared including my Downy Woodpeckers. We got a snow flurry last night, but it didn't last long. Very chilly here - nights into the high 20's, days in the mid 40's. It is also very damp which makes me ache all over.
ReplyDeleteI got my flu shot the other day and still have a sore arm, but the heavy fog we've been having has finally let up a little. Sorry to hear you are all achy. Hope you feel better soon. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is cold ~ I have been aware of skunks too ~ don't want any smelly dog near the house let alone in it :) Need to get one of the dogs to the doggy beauty parlor since he decided to have a hay day and follow the guys to the woods..... :( filthy dirty
ReplyDeleteThe junkos appeared here a few days ago also. Hope the skunks stay far away from your place. No one needs that smell around. Especially at 10 at night and you get to start tomato baths. Uggggggg Tell those block heads leashes are a good thing!!!
ReplyDeleteSail Skunks... now that's an interesting way to point it! I will have to check my copy of "Flattened Fauna" to see if they are in there...
ReplyDeleteWe are slowly getting our cold weather birdies returning . The fox is back in our valley as we saw him a few days ago and I have noticed the count of feral cats is down suddenly . I heard Coyotes in the valley forest the other night or they could Coywolves a new hybrid wild breed of a cross of a wolf and Coyote . Love the photo of snow on Chance's ears ! We had a light frost this morning sun is out but there is a wind chill . I cant take the damp cold either it hurts all over ! Thanks for sharing ! Have a good day !
ReplyDeleteBrrrrr I'm getting cold just reading this!
ReplyDeleteSkunks and mice seem to disappear once it gets very cold. The two dogs seem to do a lot more sleeping when it is cold outside. Barney has one ear flopping down from an injury but it should repair soon, I like the snow on Chance. He is just like Barney I bet when he comes in covered with wet snow and begs to be petted or rub against you.
ReplyDeleteAt this time of year cool wet weather is a bad omen. At this time of year weather can be seriously wintry. We are expecting nasty weather Sunday and then it's supposed to warm up again.
ReplyDeleteIt is getting colder and darker here as well. Heard and owl the other night...love that.
ReplyDeleteChance looks so cute with a few snow flakes on his head :)
Your post made ME cold! Brrr! Luckily we don't have your weather.
ReplyDeleteI hope Chance steers clear of the skunks - and I hope we don't have any more, either!
Snow is on the way, as weatherman is predicting a 60% chance on Tuesday. If it materializes, this will be the fourth snow storm since September. Yuck! Instead of a snow stick, I may need a snow tree to measure the depth of the snow.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling all smug:) Beautiful sunshine here yesterday and today, hit 20.1C yesterday (about 68F), and gets close to freezing overnight, but no killing frosts yet. I don't think I've seen a live skunk here in the 27 years we've been here. The odd one dead on the road, and the smell in the air occasionally, but not something I worry about with the dogs.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem long since we were guessing when your last snowstick would be all free and clear:(
I keep saying I'm not going to let the weather get me down...but it is so gloomy and so cold, and all I want to do is sleep. Enjoy your birds (and Chance) and stay warm, Connie.
ReplyDeleteYou sure know your birds. I hear such interesting ones here but I can never see them even with binoculars. I know the regular ones but there's one lately making a loud "smooching" sound and I have no idea what it is. I heard you were getting some snow up there. It's cooler here right now than I remember it for this time of year. I can usually get out and wash windows but it's been chilly and windy. It must be that front from Canada.
ReplyDeleteI love to walk this time of year but Nitty hurt her foot and so we're waiting or it to heal before we go off traipsing through the woods. I took her to the vet but he couldn't see anything wrong and said she either bruised it or twisted it. I fell down too and we're both getting older so it's taking longer to heal....dang it! But at least neither of us broke anything.
I have a feeling that Winter is going to come earlier and be colder here than usual. Glad you got a new snowstick! I remember last year when you couldn't make out the numbers without going out in it and it was pretty blustery! Stay warm and dry and Chance you stay clear of those skunks...those aren't your offspring! LOL!
I can only hope we don't need a snow stick this year.
ReplyDeleteStay warm.
Hi there, I found you today through Our Country Cove Crew and so glad I came by, I am your newest follower. I live in Colorado and the only birds left now are some Pelicans, that are usually gone by now, and Canadian Geese that spend the winter here. I love your photos and writing. I see we both love grandchildren and although now we have a small dog, we have had a Border Collie mix that was so incredibly smart. I love dogs, family and friends; looking forward to getting to know you.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Noreen
I love the easy to read snow stick! Love this photo of Chance, too. I thoroughly enjoy having enough trees in the yard to have a variety of birds.
ReplyDeleteBetter snow than smell, I agree. Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteBrrr...it's that "damp" that makes the cold so bone chilling. When my NY family visits here in "sunny" California (on the north side) for Christmas, they always complain about how cold it is...when it's only in the 30s and 40s. One look at the perennial fog during our winters would tell you it's the dampness--not the temperature--that gets to those bones.
ReplyDeleteSounds crazy, but I am a little jealous that you have had snow already. Like you said--it actually feels warmer with some insulation on the ground. ;)
ReplyDelete