Yes

"There is a privacy about it
which no other season gives you.
In spring, summer and fall people sort of
have an open season on each other;
only in the winter,
in the country,
can you have longer, quiet stretches
when you can savor belonging to yourself."

-Ruth Stout

Exactly.

Frosted Garden

Possumhaw Holly

Ilex decidua

Watching snowfall from the front porch of my mom's lake house, I was struck mute by the sheer beauty of my possumhaw hollies across the street. The bright red ilex decidua was heavily laden with plump, red berries. Fluffed up Mockingbirds would alight within its drooping branches, pick off a berry and fly off into the heavy flurries. Snowfall is rare here, and one of such beauty - sans ice - beckons this Southerner outdoors and across the street, to her home, her yard, to witness this miraculous dusting and record it for all time.

Virginia Sweetspire
Itea virginica

Seed pods leftover from spring still adorn the mass planting of Virginia Sweetspires that ramble along the foundation of our home. Such sweet magic when I looked at them and the the hollies, topped with snow, through my new macro lens. The snowfall didn't consist of pretty little rounded circles of ice but instead sharp shards like broken glass.

Byer's Golden Possumhaw Holly
Ilex decidua

The golden possumhaw holly was not to be outdone by its red relative. The golden berries and slate gray leaves dusted with icy crystals is nearly mouth-wateringly beautiful.

Roads were closed for a spell, therefore road trips were infrequent. Did I see white pelicans?

...stay tuned...

Flying Squirrels

Southern Flying Squirrel
(I took this photo)

Our good friends Mike and Cathy woke at 3am this past November to frantic scratching and scrambling sounds in their walls, right behind their heads. They're back. Teeny tiny big-eyed flying squirrels live in the woods that surround their home and on the mountain that clambers up behind them. Occasionally, these little nocturnal cuties get in their attic and into their walls. Seeking warmth? Perhaps a little companionship? Not being a flying squirrel expert and never having seen one personally, until now of course, I head to the World Wide Web. There's a website just about...you guessed it...flying squirrels! Link through and amuse yourself with the data and high cute factor should you so choose this wintry day. The photos of baby flying squirrels are so cute! (...there's that word again..."cute.")

Cathy calls the next morning to tell me about their long night rescuing these wee furry beasties, telling me they plan to release them elsewhere in the forest. I couldn't go along so Mike drove them by for me to see. Lots of "awwww!" and "ohhhh!" and "how cute!!!!" drifted along the breezes of our driveway as the family gathered to see them.


Mike sent me the release photos later. He said they are so fast it was hard to release them and then get a decent picture but he forwarded a few of the best to me to share with my blogging buddies.

He told me this guy hung around a little and chattered at him from above. He would circle around the tree trying to get a better photo but the squirrel would circle around as well. It was a Circle Game for which the squirrel was much better adapted.

Mike bade his farewells to these adorable rodents and trudged home.....only to implement Operation Flying Squirrel Rescue several more times before the winter cold set in. He's gotta find and fix that hole they've discovered before spring! All release photos compliments of my friend, Mike Kearney.

I'll be at the lake today through Sunday and may not be able to post in the interim. The Weather Service is predicting SNOW tonight and tomorrow and us Southerners do NOT "do" snow. That means hot toddies with my mom as we catch up, some movie watching and naturally some vino. The new Timberlands are packed so who knows? Maybe a road trip will ensue and I'll actually see the white pelicans this time!!! My buddy Carroll said the Cormorant migration went through yesterday on Wheeler Lake. If you've ever witnessed it you'll never forget it. For HOURS long v-lines of cormorants skim above the waves from the west, heading eastward for some reason. The black swath of bird bodies flying quickly and with such purpose is an amazing sight. Dang it - I missed it this year.

I'll see you guys on the flip side.

Snow? In Alabama?

Yes, Eve...I can believe you! Just last night hubby and I were dining with friends and they told us about the forecast. Yeah, right. Sure. Uh huh. There'll be snow in Alabama AND snow in Houston, Texas. Uh huh. And I've got a bridge I wanna sell ya. Well, yee haw buddy 'cause we woke to SNOW on the GROUND.

Baylee romped and bounded and sniffed and snuffled.

This is looking in the general direction toward's Eve's house far away in Grant. Hello, Eve! To look in Daniel's direction isn't nearly as nice a shot, sorry Daniel. Fortunately for us Southerners, the snow is due to melt soon. There's no ice so driving to run errands later will be easy peesy.

Happy Snow....for now!!!

Chilly Sunday

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!! Yesterday's storms turned out to be a non-event in our area. Most of the storms developed east and south of us - I hope there wasn't any damage. This morning's walk stunned me with fierce winds that made the power lines whistle and vibrate. No snow. The photo above was our only snowfall this year, and the blue berries in the lantana were striking. Today, just gray skies and cold temperatures and a hellish wind gusting to 25 mph that's rattling the rafters. Where'd Spring go???!!!

Snow Day

Goldfinch

March roared in like a lion - literally! Local weather prognosticators were predicting a Winter Storm Warning Saturday evening into Sunday. Yeah, right...like we haven't heard THAT one before. Southerners are not used to winter storms so whenever the weather dudes say SNOW that means run to the store and stock up on toilet paper, milk and bread. Every. Time. Oh, and get a bottle of wine while you're at it, honey. Just in case.

Cardinal

Waking Sunday morning to several inches of pristine white snow covering everything, while large fluffy cotton balls continue to fall for hours ... well ... it was like Christmas in March. We can't drive on the stuff and sure can't walk on it and don't have the right clothing for it, but still... we slipped around and took photos and fed the birds and sat with warm cups of coffee at the windows just watching the show. And what a show it was. A snow show.

Mourning Dove

The birds appreciated the sunflower seeds and thistle and even the crappy cheap seed I had left over from something. A gazillion goldfinches swooped in to gorge themselves and would flit back into the trees when it came time to refill the feeders, looking like little yellow Christmas ornaments in the bare branches.

My northern friends understandably get sick of this stuff and I am positive I would, too, if I had to deal with as often as they. However, here in our neck of the woods the sun was out and the snow was gradually melting by mid-afternoon. There are still icy pockets hither and yon today as the temperatures remain in the 20's. We enjoyed our day of snow fall and bird feeding tremendously. It was the perfect day to just sit and be, read and meditate, or crunch around outside in the wrong shoes getting all wet and cold then coming inside for hot chocolate. It's the stuff that makes memories.