January Snow

I love a covering of snow in the winter.  I admit to constantly complaining about being cold, but a covering of snow makes winter so much more palatable.  I think I still get just as excited over the first snowfall as I did when I was a kid.  I love the freshness a layer of snow gives -- the bright white that glistens in the sun and hides all the dirt and the sleeping plants.  Snow is for building snowmen and making snow angels, and for skiing and snowball fights, and for studying wildlife and enjoying crackling fires in fireplaces.

I don't necessarily need snow that buries cars and wreaks havoc on a city,

But I do love to see the footprints of the birds,

And the tracks of the squirrels

Around the bird feeder.

Watching the birds and the squirrels in winter is one of my all-time favourite pastimes.  I hope to get some decent bird shots posted sometime, but the bird feeder setup at this house isn't quite as camera-friendly as the setup in Belchertown.
(As I write this, a large flock of medium-sized birds has swooped over the house and landed on the tips of the trees across the street.)