New Year

Jan. 3, 2009

I do not post as often as I used to because I can’t get sign into my blog from this computer. I haven’t tried to figure it out…too much else claiming my attention. There is a lot less snow than there was this time last year – we have probably had about the same amount of snow, but we had a thaw in between storms. There are about 5 inches of fresh snow on top of some crusty snow.

I snow shoed up the hill with my camera late this morning to survey the damage to the trees from the ice storm. A number of tree keeled over and are over the trail others are leaning windward, mostly black birch and white birch. In warmer weather we will have to bring the chainsaw out and cut them down for later firewood. I have a special place in my heart for the vulnerable white birch trees. I like the glow of their bark and against the blue winter sky. I wonder is the birch trees will come back after such a devastating blow.

Also saw deer? Tracks and snow shoe hare tracks, criss-crossing the trail.

Jan. 10

I wonder if people are cutting down on their bird feeding due to the economy. This morning a large group of birds: blue jays, chickadees, downy woodpeckers, and nut hatches were out feeding on seeds that had fallen to the ground last weekend.
There has been a feeding frenzy since I put out more sunflower seeds this morning. The red squirrel has come out, too...taking frequent trips back to a fallen log where perhaps he has storage space.