Cold, Cold, Cold

Even though Mouse generously sent me some time to stitch, I don't have that much to show for it.  But at least you can tell it's a cat, right?

Hey Padma!  Ya' wanta' go for a walk?

Not so much you say...

Monday night / Tuesday morning was our coldest yet.  I think we got down to 21F.  As you can see Jack Frost wrote on a window pane.  But hey, while we may not have long fur, but we do have fleece, and mittens, and scarves.  So let's take a walk! 

The sparkling frost was omnipresent Tuesday morning.

Everything glittered in the sunshine.

The frost delineated the veins of the Oak and Ash leaves.

Here on a cold, mid-December day, we have a harbinger of Spring - Pussy Willow buds. 

This group of rose hips was pretty in the sunlight.

Echoing the hips' colors was this English Hawthorn.

While, the rose hips are elongated drops, the Hawthorne berries are rounded balls.

I was fascinated to find the trunk of a Madrone marked with these precise circles.  The work of a Sapsucker?  The home of Mason Bees?

I like how our old Douglas Fir trees loom over the Ash.  They are the old, rugged sentinels of our forest.   

A bird's nest?  I don't think so.  I believe it is just a large chunk of sheet moss that has caught on these branches.  It certainly would make a nice foundation for nest come Spring if anyone stumbles across it. 

Deep in the shade, the Big Creek continues to flow along.  The two ponds were frozen, but the creeks had no sign of ice.  

I know, I take alot of pictures of mushrooms. This photo is cool as you can see the stems of several, and even the frilly gills of one on the upper left.

My nose is cold, my ears are cold - it must be time to go back inside.

Some furry people would say sunshine or not, it's crazy to go out in the cold!