How deep is it? (I'm referring to the snow, not the "B.S." :) Even in March, my yard still looks like this.........where's my "moon garden"? (Why, under the white stuff, of course!)Did you ever hear bird watchers say "Downey is dinky and Hairy is huge" when identifying those two different woodpeckers? See, they're right!Nice little trail I didn't make for myself with the shovel........it's just that the snow is so "heavenly"..... .....but maybe not inside the feeder...
....or all around the birdbath (think they'll land anyway?)....
....most of my "decorations" are just bumps in the snow...even the tall ones!

My so-called "road" was a real challenge for my good neighbor to plow...
....my driveway would have been a real chore to shovel too, but since I don't, it was just challenging to bull my way through! (Hey, I only got stuck once! :)
These odd little signs are for the "roads" that never get plowed...snowmobile trails!
This one veers off from my road and heads back to town.......there's even a cute little stop sign at the intersection! Canadian readers see this stuff too-sledders in town! I've lived up here 10 years, and I still think it's really cool....
....this trail is right in town, too........I mean, think how much gas you could save commuting by sled in winter and motorcycle in summer.... .....I just think the fresh air and scenic beauty would be worth it! (Too bad I'm too chicken to ride either!)

Look how contrasty the red willow twigs are against the snow...nice!
And what's this?! See the two white dots in the center near the top? Pussy willow blooms! Signs of spring despite the snow...yay! At least somebody knows what month it is! Guess I'd better get my "winter sowing" started, pronto!

I'm back....along with more snow! Finally feeling alive after almost a week and a half of mailaise, and our wintry weather never slowed down like I did... .....looks like an ice cream cone, eh? This is a sumac along my road, growing wild as they are inclined to do up here.

Funny how snow just stacks up on even the smallest surfaces...

...and piles on branches like crazy! I think these doves had to "shovel their perch" first...
....lucky there's a roof on this feeder!

Even the tiniest twigs get covered when there's no wind...
....so pretty! My previously revealed angel is going undercover again...

...along with everything else around my house.

I like the snow cover though, it not only protects the plants while they sleep off the winter...
....I think it adds a nice clean frosting to an otherwise brown and dull landscape.

Hooray for improving health and plenty of snow! Now back to my spring plans....

And "snow" it goes, day after day....after a brief semi-melt, we're back into winter up here. Personally, I enjoy the snow (aside from the other drivers on the road), and it makes the brown landscape nicer.The birds get excited too, but mostly for food. Amazing how much busier the feeders get when the wild seeds are covered with snow...

...though some birds seem willing to do a little excavating.
The garden is sound asleep though.
So aside from houseplants indoors, wild birds are my primary source of winter amusement outdoors...


.....unless I take a cue from this guy and "fly the coop" for awhile!

Or just go ice fishing! (Can you tell I'm feeling restless?)

Fun with houseplants... because eveything outdoors is under snow! When I had to bring in my new ceramic mushrooms for the winter, I wasn't sure where I wanted to put them. The caps are spring-attached to the stems, so I didn't want them to get bent up........I think they decorate these bigger houseplants just fine! Christmas/Thanksgiving cacti have been showing off for weeks...
....especially this one, called "Sunset"....


....is it so named for this nice yellow, orange, and pink coloration?.... .....absolutely! Which brings me to this minor quandry: why are the leaves of the rooted cutting (bottom) shaped differently and a different shade than the mother plant (top, diagonally)?
Not only that, but why are the flowers different shades? (Mother plant left, cutting blossom right). Is it a maturity thing? Ah, but this dark red is consistent, from mother plant to rooted cutting...strange.
Wow, schlefflera had a good summer in the screen house! Better re-pot that next spring for sure!

This plant, spathiphyllum, not so much! Oops...too much late-season dry out and exposure to fall temps...in fact, I was afraid it was a goner...

...but some trimming of dead stuff, water and prayer=resurrection!
This cactus dish got pretty sunburnt at first, even though it was just in afternoon sun for a couple hours a day in the screen house...
....burnt and somewhat crispy....
......I mean, that even looks painful to me.....but then they all seemed to get over it for the bulk of the summer season...
.....and now look at all this new growth!
Okay, if you can't tell the difference too well, then let me draw some arrows and such (in red, which looked a lot brighter in paint than it does here)...
...you can see the amount of new growth on these fuzzy dudes the most.....
.....so what's the lesson here? You need to be "cruel to be kind" to get good growth from cacti? (Whip me, beat me, make me write bad checks? ;-) Do they go into some sort of "survival mode" when stressed, resulting in a panicky growth spurt? Is this just normal, and I'm spazzing for nothing? Heh...guess I have all winter to research this and any other silly questions I might come up with!