First things first: the water is running again.

Thank you all for your good wishes.

It took a while.

And several thousand dollars.

BUT.

You do what you gotta do, right?

And all's well that ends well.

~~~~~

random weekend snaps

We've been having more strong winds.

These are not small branches.

~~~

I thought you might like to see what an

8-foot-wide hay bale looks like.
I probably should have put something on it for scale.
Piper, maybe.

~~~

A peaceful moment for Iris and Rocket.

Today Iris was combed for the first time.

Not so peaceful, but we took our time, got through it,

and were still friends at the end.

By the way, you can see why I've started calling her "Tiny Iris."

Literally from the moment of their births, she's been on the petite side,

and her brother has been on the solid side.

When you see them together like this,

the difference in the two extremes is really emphasized.

~~~

Daily markmaking continues!

This was Friday, #439: a dried zinnia head from last year's gardens.

~~~

This photograph of a hairy woodpecker could be clearer, but it was taken from 12 feet away and through two layers of glass. I'm glad I put this suet feeder close to the porch, because I've discovered the sound these birds make - a sort of whistly cheep, repeated, with a silent beat in between.

Every morning a woodpecker politely approaches the feeder,

and sounds so delighted and surprised to find the suet:

cheep?! pause cheep?! pause cheep?! pause cheep?!

It makes me smile.

I hope you had a lovely weekend!

Isn't it amazing how much daylight we're seeing now?

It's 7 PM and I can almost see the barn.

Even with the clocks moved ahead one hour, that's a nice change.

~~~~~

sunny sunday

In recent weeks, there have been woodpeckers visiting my suet feeder every day,

even while snow is falling.

Downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers.

Unlike some birds, they never seem to squabble, but nicely take turns.

Males and females of both varieties visit.

I wonder if there will be nests nearby, and perhaps baby birds this year?

This morning, there was also a rare visit from four mourning doves.

They searched the snow under the seed feeder, but I don't know if they found much before flying high into a tree.

I would have liked to toss sunflower seed onto the ground for them, but opening a window would have scared them away, possibly for a long time.

Even from forty feet away and high in a tree, this one seems to be keeping a close eye on me as I take pictures from inside the porch. 

I'll toss some seed on the snow after evening chores tonight, and hope it isn't all eaten up by mice before morning. Maybe the doves will be back tomorrow.

It is a gorgeous day. Not snowing - really, not snowing - and the sky is blue with fluffy clouds. Unlike recent days, the the temperature has slowly climbed above freezing and it's not windy. It's quite pleasant and a bit melty out there.

So why am I indoors in the middle of the day? you might ask.

It has a lot to do with the two cats currently anchoring my legs,

but it probably has even more to do with me feeling lazy and slow.

Of course I have a long list of things to do apart from daily chores, including many little things that weren't done because of all the recent snowy days. But instead of trying to get a lot done, I just feeling like staying put. At least for a little while.

I hope you are having a pleasant day wherever you are,

 whether you are full of energy and embracing the day with gusto,

or whether you are having a cozy recharge like me.

~~~~~

february snaps

It's February in New England.

Best to just take it as it comes.

~~~~~