Night falls much later now, we have far more daylight during the course of a day, which is a blessing. Blue skies and a warming sun along with a diminution of the freezing cold temperatures during the day are all working diligently to melt our prodigious snowpack, though the past few weeks have made a good start at it.

Today marks the Ides of March. In this year of 2020 we all know what it is that we must beware. And in another week, spring will arrive and with it a burgeoning of novel coronavirus cases -- everywhere.

In the early dusk hour of 6:30 last night we had an unexpected visitor on the porch. My husband keeps putting out fresh caches of peanuts regularly. He thinks a few of the squirrels that come around regularly are nursing young. And the female cardinal usually comes around at early dusk as well.
But this guest was neither, it was a raccoon, we think a portly little juvenile, a very rotund little fellow.

And then, considerably later in the evening, we had another surprise guest. A very small skunk with the most spectacular, brushy tail imaginable, appearing as though he had been especially groomed to appear before an appreciative audience. We were that appreciative audience. I grabbed my camera and began snapping.

Each time I did the result was disappointing, as though all I could get was a blurred, dark image. So I thought I might have better luck with a video, and took several of the little fellow diligently scooping up peanuts. We had closed the family room door on Jackie and  Jillie to ensure they wouldn't frighten the beautiful little creature away.

When I looked at the camera screen as I was  taping the action on the porch, everything looked clear through the glass door. The porch light was on, and it seemed as though I'd have better luck with the video than still pictures. And then, when I downloaded them all today, I discovered that some of the stills, albeit murky, were infinitely better than the videos, which came out dark and fairly useless.

We were left wondering who it might be visiting our side door of an evening. There, my husband puts out crackers when we go up to bed, assuming that early-morning squirrel visitors take possession of them since they're always gone when we come down to breakfast. The thought did cross our minds that it might be coyotes coming around at night, since they haven't far to trot from the ravine to the street. Until we actually see one delectating over the offerings we can't be certain.

Another day of full sun, wind and a bit cooler than the previous few days. Which meant that in some areas the trails in the ravine have become treacherous again, requiring far more care to negotiate. At 0C, we should have put boots on Jackie and Jillie, because there's so much loose ice about, tiny pebbles of it, and their little paws kept picking up those icy pebbles, getting stuck in their pads and it was evident they weren't comfortable about it.

Other than that, it was an uneventful foray into the forest, an enjoyable one. The creek is running madly, boiling over with the rush of meltwater even though at that temperature the melting has obviously slowed down. But all in good time.