Winter Solstice (without the end of the world)

I had today off and could think about the Solstice a few times during the day.  I thought of the beginning of the the winter season (though we had snow and cold winds for a few days already) as I split poplar and cedar for the wood stove.  I thought of the shortest day as I shoveled out of our snow drifted yard.  I thought of how the sun begins it migration back north as I looked at how low it was in the sky.

No catastrophes today; I wasn't expecting any.  The wind blew cold enough for us.

I have the yearning to look at seed catalogs!

Our Winter Guests

One of the fun things we do is feed birds throughout the year.   They frantically enjoy our seeds during the winter months...

We have sparrows (yet to be identified), junkos, finches. scrub jays and these pinion jays (eating machines!), doves, chickadees, and occasionally quail.

I do wonder how dependent these birds become on our feeder.  It may be a tiny model of government entitlement programs... but being a liberal, I still put out the bird seed every morning, hoping that I am not doing harm.

I enjoy watching the birds throughout the day.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

A winter storm finally gave us some snow!  We get the fun of driving in it, shoveling it, walking through it, and sitting by the window and looking out at it.

Now, I just need a couple of seed catalogs.