Up at daybreak, the furnace running, the wind blowing the snow horizontally across the deck. In the early light I could see the juncos in the snow, and the mourning doves in the trees. It turned out to be one of the best Feederwatch days I’ve ever had.
A lone brown-headed cowbird showed up, and showed me his snow-covered beak
The Carolina wren returned, and went straight for the suet
There were two white-breasted nuthatches stopping by this afternoon
A hairy woodpecker worked up and down the willow tree
A female cardinal stayed around most of the day, but kept its distance whenever Martha was let out
The mourning doves huddled together in the sun, but were soon under attack…..
One flew into our diningroom window when this Cooper’s hawk flew in (I think the dove escaped)
I spent the day catching up on the laundry, George wrapped presents, and I managed to get a second batch of Christmas cookies underway. Yesterday I made the snowball cookies that I remember from my early Christmases, and today I made George’s childhood favorite, date pinwheel cookies.
I was chopping dates and walnuts as Morgan and Albert flew across Iowa at 452 miles an hour. 
George and I sat down together just before two o’clock this afternoon, to watch their plane near the airport in Seattle. A few minutes later the site notified us that they had touched down. With all the winter weather across the country this weekend, we were anxious to know they were safely there. I was back in the kitchen a few minutes later when a text message came on my phone from Morgan to confirm their arrival.
George plugged in our Christmas lights early in the day, and with all the wrapping and baking, we longed for some new Christmas music. We agreed on a music box selection, both of us reminiscing about a shop at the mall near the college we both attended many years ago. I remember Faudree’s as a feast for the senses…..beautiful music, smells, and items for sale. We rarely bought anything, but I loved to go in and hear the music box selection on the symphonium. With a little search and click, we downloaded our music into my iTunes, and the sound took me back thirty-some years, before calculators, computers, cell phones, or the ability to track an air flight in real time.
Tonight the wind is howling, and the furnace is working overtime to keep us warm. We have another weather alert for the morning, this time a windchill advisory. The cats have the right idea….snuggle up! Winter is definitely here.
