Usually when it's cold out as it was early today, our instincts are not to stop for anything, but to continue striding along to maintain the protective warmth from the energy expended on our hikes through the forest trails. But when you meet up with someone, it's hard to remember that. There's always things to discuss with old friends. It wasn't until I glanced down and noticed Jackie shivering, even though he was dressed in a warm winter coat over a wooly sweater, and his boots keeping his little paws off the snow that I stooped down to raise him up into my arms for warmth and shelter.

Jillie needs no such considerations. She has twice the amount of flesh covering her stout little body as her brother. She sits and waits patiently, unfazed by the cold, seemingly. They were both excited when we saw Jango the beautiful Husky striding toward us. We hadn't seen her in ages, nor her human companion, an old friend of ours. She wanted to tell us that her husband had twice seen several coyotes in the woods this week.

Everyone is abuzz with the sightings of coyotes. We're in there on the forest trails every day and have yet to see a coyote. We've seen foxes, pheasants, beaver, muskrats, raccoons, owls, great blue herons, hawks, snapping turtle, skunk on occasion, but never yet a coyote. Some people have come across deer even though their traffic corridor has been compromised, but never have we.

So they're there, all right, we're convinced. Twenty years back we felt assured that the newly-spotted presence of coyotes would obey the 'rules' and remain hidden from view other than in the hours of darkness. In years previous to that we often set out at night for our daily ravine hikes through the woods, overcast winter skies glancing off the snow on the forest floor to render ample light for us. We never, at that time, came across any wild animals.

Strangely enough, now that there are fewer animals about as a result of more houses being built on the periphery of the ravined forest, the coyotes began appearing. So we clearly have generations of coyotes hereabouts; the wonder is what are they all eating? Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, moles when they can catch them, but that speaks of a finite source. It also speaks to the fact that man's best friend becomes more vulnerable, as a result.

Jackie and Jillie who have known off-leash freedom for most of their lives are now becoming accustomed to on-leash treks through the familiar landscape of the ravine. Today was even colder than yesterday, though the temperature read the same; -15C. The difference being that clear skies lidded the forest yesterday with the penetrating rays of the sun here and here, and no wind. Today, it's completely overcast, and a nasty wind is in evidence, awaiting the forecasted snowstorm we've been warned to expect that will leave us with up to 20 cm of new snow.

Newfoundland has had quite the snow event, with 44 to 70 cm of snow dumped in some areas yesterday and overnight, and a state of emergency announced; everything pretty well closed down until areas can be dug out of the mountains of snow left behind.

The creek at the ravine's bottom is continuing to freeze over, though at the upper portion where the rapids are located, it likely will keep moving along. Continued cold weather throughout the coming week will no doubt hasten the process of icing over.

Although our puppies are always happy to be out and about in the snow, it was a safe enough assumption that today they were glad to be back from their daily jaunt, in their nice warm house where they could doze away the following several hours.