It was 8ยบ and the pasture was beautifully, thickly, frosted. I didn't have a camera, and even if I did, I don't think I could have captured the glitters and glistening. Beau the bloodhound loped from one end of the pasture to the other, nose-to-ground, with a meander that would make the Suwannee River look like a straight line from point A to B. Biserka the Bouvier was a little more reticent to frolic this morning. The frost builds up in her furry pads, I think, and makes walking out there more unpleasant than she would prefer. But she was happy to be out and standing at attention in the middle of nowhere.
When we got back into the yard, I saw a group of cardinals, male and female, hovering around the duck pond. The duck pond is the term I use for the (human) kiddie pool we have set out under the privet and lilac hedges, for the ducks' use. And this winter, all birds flock to it. They have figured out that each morning I pour about two gallons of warm water over the ice build-up. This ensures that the ducks and other fowl can have a few sips of water while they stand on the ice build-up.
Up in a tree, I heard a familiar tap-tap-tap. It was one of our local red-bellied woodpeckers, with his black-and-white geometric back and his very bright red head. Not only are these woodpeckers bright, but they are large. So...easy to spot out on a grey winter day.
By the time I had finished doing "animal stuff" this morning, there was already a thin layer of ice in the dogs' water buckets and the duck pan. And tonight, I replayed the entire activity, and tucked in all the animals.
Snow is forecast tonight. Be still, my hopeful heart.
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