collar choler

A couple of weeks ago, we had some amazingly cold weather.  

eerie and frigid sunrise

Below zero at night and barely above during the day.  Claudia was comfortably ensconced in our heated barn, and we were careful to keep the bird feeders filled.  Some lovely visitors...so puffed up against the cold!

dark-eyed junco

song sparrow

European starling

pileated woodpecker

blue jay

northern flicker

Everyone shared, with just a little grumbling!

red-bellied woodpecker pair

Then rain and fog...

...and now it's warmed up enough to do a little hiking!  Any morning that it's above 20 degrees, we're on the trail for a twenty minute walk...but on really nice days, we go a little longer.  Last week, we hiked for an hour.  Borga, however, is not the intrepid hiker that she used to be.  Now she frequently sulks and slips her collar...

...and stubbornly refuses to walk through water at all.

Maybe she'll be more interested as the weather gets warmer.  Right now, only the cats are enjoying the benefits of the chilly sunshine!

Have a great week!