This morning, bright sunshine. The bellowing wind of yesterday gone. But the temperature dropped to -12C overnight, so it was cold, and still cold when we got up this morning though the temperature had risen to -6C. Quite the contrast from yesterday morning, when it was so dark when dawn broke we thought it was still the middle of the night. And sleet was slanting across the landscape driven by wind.

Not the kind of awakening that instills good feelings for the trajectory of the day. Balanced off nicely by feeling snug and comfortable in your home while the weather rages outside. We thought that the entire day would be dark and dismal. Not helped one bit by high wind, though, once again balanced by a temperate high of 2C.

Still, we were surprised when the sun came out in fits and starts as we saw the dark clouds breaking up here and there with bright blue patches appearing. Motivating our daily walk in the ravine with our two little rascals. Because there were recurring light rain events interspersed between brief periods of sun, we all dressed in raingear.

Jackie and Jillie anxious as usual to be released to the freedom of romping on the forest trails, steadily losing their hard-packed snow and ice layers. It's always a bit of a shock to re-adjust from a perfectly white forest floor to one revealing bright, dark patches of desiccating fall foliage and bright little areas replete with sight of ferns and moss and lichen.

The creek runs steadily these days, rippling with detritus picked up along the way, along with muck from the eroding clay base on which the entire forest sits. Before we know it (hah!) returning great blue herons and dabbling ducks on their way north again will stop briefly in their fly-over and spend a day or so in and around the creek, exciting us no end at sighting them.

The hawks that have returned year after year will make their re-entrance and we'll hear from whistling high above the tree canopy, alerted to their presence, looking up to see them riding on the wind. We've seen and heard young crows mobbing lately in the ravine, and one young fellow has taken turns with a cardinal visiting our home porch railing where leftover toast is crumbled for the squirrels.

Giving Jackie and Jillie something else to get all riled up over, barking furiously the while.