Winter has been slow to arrive in my neck of the woods. The snowfall from two nights ago blanketed my mud-patch lawn with fresh powder that serves my dogs as a yard-wide toy. Our three Belgians race gleeful loops and arcs, sometimes chasing each other, sometimes flying alone for the mere joy of unimpeded movement. Grace on four paws. They halt to scoop up a mouthful of snow, or drop to the cold earth panting, not waiting long before they are up and off again.

Since June, my workdays have nearly consumed my existence. But for a small break around Christmas (not one I selected, but one that came through default as clients were distracted), I remain too busy to grab my camera as much as I’d like. (Okay, hardly ever.) I manage to get out and about for walks, but grabbing photos is nearly impossible when strapped to a dog.

I spotted my summer bluebirds a month or so ago, to my surprise and delight. The bird feeders are frequented by dumb doves, sweet chickadees, rude bluejays, beloved cardinals, crows (I’ve seen one particular crow with a white patch on its wing for years now), sparrows, woodpeckers and more. I finally heard a barred owl a few nights ago – and a pack of coyotes. Deer tracks crisscross the woods, punctuated by piles of chocolate covered almonds. (Okay, it’s deer poop. And my dog loves to eat it.)

I don’t have any new bird (or other animal photos) from this winter. What I do have is the following:

This picture is leaf litter from this fall. I snapped this photo while my dog was surveying the kingdom of our weedy waterfront with her most impressive superpower – her sense of smell. Oh how I envy what she knows with her nose that I’ll never know.

Winter sunlight cutting through the mist of an unusually warm morning.

Ice on fallen birch.

Drip edge caught in frozen repose

Same ice edge, different editing choices. (The picture was snapped on my iphone while on the move with a dog so it wasn’t very quality to begin with. I tried to over come this by playing with editing options. Curious which image appeals to you more.