A Wintry Walk in the Woods

 Dear Friends,

A happy New Year to all of you! We love the anticipation of good things that a new year brings. Of course we may not end up achieving all the things we think we will, but having a set of goals helps us to focus on that which we truly value, and reminds us what our values truly are.

We woke to a beautiful, sunny crystalline morning on New Year's, and took the opportunity to go to the woods by our house and explore. Won't you come along?

Where there were thousands of honeysuckle berries and rosehips in fall, now there are but few~

A graceful ballerina deer passed through on toe shoes~

And someone with a striped, bushy tail was busy exploring the creek during the night!

 

The resident raccoon loves climbing partway up this log to eat snails and other goodies.

 

We had thought this burrow belonged to the raccoon, but only dog tracks were near the entrance.

 Here are the remains of a bird nest that fell out of a tall tree earlier in the year. Perhaps the birds will reuse the polyester fluff for this year's home.

 The cattails along the creek are all sporting the most cunning white berets. They stand like soldiers guarding a fairy palace!

A hungry squirrel searched here for his dinner~

And who left the clumsiest, biggest tracks of all? You guessed it! I wonder if any animals followed my tracks and wondered what I was up to?

A tree sparrow models the fluffy coats all the birds are wearing this winter~

~While the oaks are still sporting their crumbled leaves, in defiance of winter's cold.

Now we've returned back to home, sweet home, where our own maples are quite stunning in their white silk stockings!

May this year bring us all plenty of hope, faith, and charity, sufficient for each day's journey.

Blessings to all,

Marqueta