Stretching, Ice, and Flashes of Blue

The photo looks sunny, but it's been pretty cold. Just a few flurries that have all evaporated except for the shadiest spots. But lots of pretty ice crystal patterns everywhere. And Burley loves spending his mornings snoozing in the cold sunshine or practicing yoga in front of the house. I wonder if we people all stretched as consistently
every time we changed positions as he does, if we'd all have less injuries. 

Some of Jack Frost's lovely handy work. Through glass on my front windshield. I find the detailed designs made by ice crystals just fascinating!

In the past, I've had Steller's Jays come and go. Frequenting my little clearing in the woods for a day or so and then disappearing for months. But for several weeks now, there are three that seem to have decided to move in. Three is an interesting number to have spending time with each other. I'm not sure if they are a family, friends, or what, but it would be fun to know. Either way, I enjoy watching the flashes of bright blue through the branches, and they like to torment Burley by sitting just above his head out of reach and squawking at him. 

Thanks to the rare lack of a solid snowpack on the ground at this time of year, we've spent some time helping clean up fallen and dead trees along various trails and lanes for one of my bosses. This is work I really enjoy most of the time, and Burley stays very busy the whole time. Either sniffing out mice in the grass or picking a particular stick to be his favorite and constantly hoping I'll throw it again. When I'm busy, he sits down and fights with his stick all on his own, grumbling and growling at it the whole time as he chews it into wood chips. Which makes me laugh. 

And we've had nocturnal visitors as well. The most frequent visitor my trail camera picks up (you can just barely see the house in the background) is a fox, or more than one, that visits the yard most nights. I hope it stays around and brings some friends as this clearing has an abundance of small rodents that could use some more population control. Occasionally I glance out the window and see it, but it's always moving far faster than I can get a camera and light on it for a good photo, so I just ignore it and hope it eats a lot of mice while it's here. 

And, then a peak at the last full moon. The milky way is back out in full view now as the moon has waned, but most evenings have been hazy or cloudy so I've not had a good opportunity to photograph it recently. I hope you are all enjoying your evening and whatever view you have!