A Bit Warmer

Bare cottonwoods lean into the blue sky.

Deer have trudged around the yard leaving their hoof prints.

The snow is so deep that each movement of the deer's hooves leaves a trail of shuffled snow.

Three trails like perfect strings of pearls lead into the center of a greasewood shrub.

A closeup of these delicate footprints. Is this where mice have scuttled through the snow?  Whatever creature walked here disturbed only a topmost layer of the light dry crystals.

I hasn't snowed for several days, but in the nearly windless cold, snow is caught on horizontal branches.

A woodpecker or flicker's boring in the battered trunk of a cottonwood.

A stand of dried weed [sorrel?] is dark red in the afternoon light. Note each slender shadow.

The gift paperwhites have stretched quickly and have opened fragrant blossoms.

The ones planted earlier have gone floppy and are tied up with a torn length of fabric.  There are a few sluggards in that container--alive and growing but stunted and reluctant to flower.

Work continues in the attic/loft and sun strikes through the window onto the dedicated carpenter!

A cat pile on an old quilt. Lt. to rt. Eggnog, Chester, Jemima.

The cold blue light of January reflects off snow and lends its tint to indoor spaces.

"Mama's Darling!"

The cats don't like the noise of J.'s power tools, so the bedroom and my sitting room have been retreats today.