My husband is kept busy supplying our local wildlife with edibles daily. He has moved from refreshing the snacks laid out on the porch from once a day to three and four times daily. Last night he wanted to put out fresh food before going up to bed but the two raccoons, mama and juvenile, were hard at it, gobbling everything, and he didn't want to disturb them. First thing he does in the morning is toast bread, butter it, cut it into little squares, gather up raw peanuts and sunflower seeds and put the ensuing piles in neat little separations, out for the squirrels and the birds.

In the evening he adds piles of the dog kibble he's bought especially for the raccoons. We sight the rabbit only occasionally, and it is far more vigilant than either the squirrels or the raccoons, quick to make a swift exit if it feels any threats nearby, so we keep Jackie and Jillie a distance from the front door in the evening hours. During the daytime, Jackie is free to harass all comers with his barking, although we chastise him because we don't want the birds disturbed.

Yesterday seemed a perfect precursor to spring. The temperature nudged all the way up to 2C at street level and likely remained about -2C down in the ravine, given the icy cold and damp we feel radiating from the forest floor, clamped tightly in layers of ice and snow. But with the sun in full, glorious display no one could think other than that spring is procrastinating, but the season of reason will prevail.

The icy trails under the influence of sun and warming trends has developed a softened exterior so we don't slide about as much ascending and descending the hills. Unfortunately, the night-time temperatures continue to linger around -5C, giving the trails impetus to continue icing up. It's a perfect combination for local enterprises busy with producing maple syrup since cold night time temperatures and moderate day-time conditions encourage the sap to run.

And tthe sun, the wonderful, warming sun feels exquisite on our exposed faces. Its warmth more than compensates for the wind's rude lashing. Evidence is gradually accumulating that winter is indeed in retreat, however bad-natured about it the season seems to be, as always. Here and there are signs that the snowpack is slowly receding. And the blanket of snow is becoming increasingly soot-deposited at close visual range.

We've found it useful under these circumstances to keep putting their little rubber boots on our little dogs' feet. The rubber actually keeps them from sliding on the ice, and it also protects their tender pads from the sharp surfaces that also mark the ice when freeze-and-thaw cycles play havoc with what might otherwise be a glassy finish.

They, of course, are oblivious to all such concerns. Their interest lies in just being out there in the forest, on the trails, chasing up interesting odours, interacting with other dogs, satisfying their curiosity about what may lay ahead on a curve of the trail, and rushing up to people they are familiar with just in case there are treats in the offing.