We're Ready I Guess
Old Friends Returnby Dan Hartman
Nov. 10, 2018
Some late fall and early winter snow falls, melts, snows, melts and snows again.But not this year.
It has begun snowing late October and has continued almost daily. We're more than a foot deep on the level and have gotten two feet total snowfall.
I'd hoped, since we had a short summer, Indian Summer might linger a bit.
No such luck.
Well, we got our last wood in just before the first storm.
Heat tapes done.
Chimney swept.
Studs put on the car.
Weather stripping on all the doors.
I guess we're ready. Like we've got a choice. We've already seen the thermometer drop to -5 degrees.
The winter has brought back friends we hadn't seen in a while. A flock of pine grosbeaks brighten the winter landscape. Hairy woodpeckers, red-breasted nuthatches, stellars jays, mountain chick-a-dees, clarks nutcrackers and our favorite gray jays visit us daily. We also see flying squirrels nightly.
A marten drops by every now and then, hopefuly a sign of more to come this winter.
Fox tracks litter the yard every morning and in the forest ermine sign.
In the park, snow makes wildlife easier to spot, especially wolves. By the way great news about the Lamars puppy crop. Also foxes, coyotes and moose are other characters often seen. Grizzlies will soon move to their denning areas and disappear until March. Although some years we have had grizzlies around the cabin until early December.
It's funny. Every year we say we're just not ready for winter yet. But, after thirty years of living up here, I guess we just get ready without even realizing it. Much like our forest friends
Photos
926 In Ice Box Canyon
Marten
Yellowstone Fox
Yellowstone Bull Moose
Ermine Tracks
Pine Grosbeak
Wood Pile
More Wood