More Coyotes on our snowy meadow

What a delight it is to watch the wild critters who wander onto the meadow and into view.  

They don't seem to mind us at all, and occasionally glance over as if to say;

 

"If you're taking photos, this really is my good side".    

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are for us, moments of pure unadulterated pleasure.  Magical and Delightful.

Happy New Year.

 Out for a walk with David yesterday, writing love letters in the snow ... For one of our Touch Wood couples whose wedding was New Year's Eve. 

Suzanne wrote a couple of days ago from Minnesota where she and Jerome are celebrating their wedding.   She writes "Our perfect winter wonderland wedding is being thwarted by Mother Nature - no snow! Not a flake!  In the whole "wedding equation" I thought for sure that "snow" was the constant, not the variable!  I'm slowly letting go and realizing that no snow means less travel stress for our loved ones. No snow also means no sleigh ride on Friday night. Sigh."   

Feeling quite sad about their snow-less celebration David and I decided to do what we could to send a little snow love their way and found a couple of spots on the meadow to carve and walk their initials into the snow and, it gave us a chance to celebrate their wedding with them, if only in spirit.

We've had a lovely Christmas here on the meadow.  An extremely quiet one this year ~ just the two of us; no visitors and no trip down to the Okanagan to see our families.  Our days were no less filled with love and lots of emails back and forth from family and friends.  We always try to connect with family at this time of year by Skype or webcam but with our satellite internet it's a humorously poor connection.  Still, we have the pleasure of seeing our dear one's smiling faces even if we can't hear them ~ or hear their voices even if we can't see them : )

Most of the holidays were sunny and warm ~ unseasonably so, but still with a covering of snow to make it feel like Christmas.

The rose hips bright in the winter sun and the sunsets so spectacular this time of year!

Wandering ~ enjoying leisurely walks around the meadow. Our walking trail follows the two miles of stacked zigzag log fencing and it's a beautiful path to wander.  David plows it occasionally and so the wildlife make good use of it too.  

Fun to watch where the critter tracks come and go.  

A tremendous number of rabbits this winter.  We see hundreds of little tracks of young bunnies and visualize their scampering and playfulness as they dart in and out of the piles of brush that offer them warmth and safety from the coyotes whose tracks are also plentiful.

What's left of an old corral; one of the pieces of history still standing on the property. 

Life is good.  We are truly blessed and ever thankful.

Here's to a new year full of promise and possibilities.

  With much love

as always

Nicola and David

Early December Skies over the meadow

Oh, these early winter skies!!  So spectacular.  We have a beautiful unhindered view up here on the plateau.  The show goes on and on, for almost an hour. Here are just a few of the 150 sunset photographs David has taken the past two evenings.

 David and I rarely watch a sunset when we don't at some point compare it to the beauty of 

Juniper Heartwood ~ small sunsets woven into a Touch Wood Ring.

  

...Sometimes the setting sun breaks out again, 

And touching all the darksome woods with light, 

Smiles on the fields until they laugh and sing,

Then like a ruby from the horizon's ring, 

Drops down into the night. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Misty mornings on the meadow as winter closes in.

Oh what a face on this late fall visitor.  

Poor girl. . .  cold and alone?  Not her best side?  Having a bad day ?

She (I believe we have here a female brown headed cowbird) arrived solo at our now deserted feeder and stuck around for a couple of days. We're pretty sure she was happier than she looked after finding a full feeder and no competition.  She had some good meals before getting back underway on whatever journey she was on.  We're hoping she went on to rendezvous with her feathered friends after leaving the meadow.

( a better photo ~ her good side)

Lots of misty and frosty mornings on the meadow these days.  One day last week we awoke to a skiff of snow that lasted on the ground till about noon.  Some light flurries there and there, and winter is soon upon us.  We're just about ready too, I'd say.  A few more little jobs to finish up. We're installing a new bank of solar panels that will track the sun to give us more juice for our day to day work.  Thankfully we live in a place that gets glorious sunshine all through the year.  

...some misty morning shots ...

 and a sunny morning a few days later, the willows frosted and sparkling.

Here's to our feathered friends.  

May they all have a safe journey south

and find their way back here next spring.