More light snow fell last night and early this morning. Delightful to see it drifting down from the sky. but both occasions failed to amount to much, other than a light dusting of fluffy crystals. Just enough to cover surfaces, and allow Jackie and Jillie the illusion that there's ample snow in the backyard to romp about in. The presence of new snow reminds them of the excitement they felt as puppies on seeing fresh snow, driven to exuberant playfulness, racing about the backyard after one another.

Now, they're likelier to look for fresh scents under the snow where the rabbit comes around regularly looking for its daily carrot offering. We had to clear away the cauliflower florets I'd put out for the rabbit. After all, if Beatrix Potter could write of rabbits in a farmer's cabbage patch, cauliflower seems close enough for edible interest to a rabbit. But this rabbit was clearly not interested, preferring carrots, and carrots it shall be. We buy an extra package weekly now.

It's Jilliie who has been interested in the cauliflower, and who goes after it, to nibble on the frozen vegetable bits. And she gets more than enough of it in their evening salads, so Irving scooped up what was left and into the compost bin it went. 

Earlier when I went to the RCMP site for gun registration renewal, I had to laugh. Firefox warned me not to proceed, that the site was unreliable and could compromise my security. I fully agreed with Firefox, but proceeded nonetheless to the site to access a PDF form I could download so my husband could get a postal money order, fill out the damn renewal application, send it in for a five-year renewal of a 50-year-old nostalgia-piece, a grandfatherly rifle he doesn't want to surrender.

Finally, when I finished the laundry and Irving came upstairs from his workshop in the basement, we gathered up Jackie and Jillie and went off to the ravine. There a nice, freshly plush blanket covered the landscape; a thin blanket, that's true, but the temperature had moderated to -6C, with little wind to speak of, so everything breathed freely in comfort.

The icy temperature which froze over the creek in the ravine captured the snow now covering the ice-topped creek, so you'd never know there was water there, just the snow extended as far as the eye can see over trees, shrubs, bridges, and the entire forest floor. A paltry covering regardless, given the usual state of the forest snowpack.

Because the temperature was so relatively forgiving, we decided to make today's hike one of the longer ones, to keep us all out for a longer period, striding along the forest trails, uphill and downhill. And we came across so many dogs taking their humans out for fresh air and exercise, Jackie and Jillie thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

They received more than their daily share of cookie treats, since many of the dogs we came across know Irving very well and have certain expectations of him in the cookie department. One dog in particular we were most happy to see because one day last week, it was clear to us she was upset because her human had got lost and she couldn't find him. She had followed two other dogs and was playing with them, then they went one way and she looked about for her missing human partner.

She wasn't too upset to stay with us awhile, chomping down cookies while we looked for her tag, but she suddenly pulled away and went fleet-footing it back from where she had come, and we hoped that she had reconnected with her human. We asked him today how long she had been missing while he looked for her and he laughed. He found her, he explained, sitting patiently beside the car where he had parked it on the street.