Winter isn't done yet...

Monday, 2:37 pm

By Kate

Mar

02

2009

Winter dumped another foot of snow on us last night. I’m being somewhat conservative here. I haven’t actually stuck the yardstick into the snow to measure exactly. I’m sure there’s more than a literal foot, but what’s a couple more inches in the scheme of things? And since the temperature dropped like a rock, I guess I’m going to have to shovel it. The snow is not going to melt any time soon. I think I’ll wait until it stops snowing, however. Just doesn’t want to quit.

Have you ever wondered where the urban squirrels go during a snowstorm? I have. And this morning I discovered one little red squirrel huddled next to my sliding glass door. He had carved out a little cave between the snow and the glass and had his fluffy tail curled around him. I assume he was soaking up a little of the warmth that undoubtedly passes through the glass. When I opened the blinds, he looked at me and I looked at him (with surprise). Suddenly it was as if an electric current blasted through his little body. Kind of like a cartoon. I am sure every hair on his body stood straight out and if he could have spoken it would have come out as EEEEK! And then he was gone, barely leaving footprints behind.

I’ve only recently started seeing red squirrels here. They are a new addition. And very inquisitive. Maybe this was the same one, but several mornings in a row there has been one sitting on top of my woodpile looking in the kitchen window. He stares at me and I stare at him. He seems very curious about what’s happening on the other side of the window. Or perhaps he’s reminding me that there are no peanuts left and he’s hungry. As long as he doesn’t figure out a way to get in, we’ll get along fine.

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In case you’ve been vaguely wondering…

Daylight Saving Time begins in six days, on March 8. I, for one, am looking forward to it. Of course, we’ll lose some light in the morning, but we’ll get most of that back by the end of the month. Longer days...give me longer days.