It was very cold late last night when Irving took Jackie and Jillie out to the backyard for the last time before bedtime. Preparing us for a very cold day today. We shooed them upstairs to bed where they could wait for us. And we stood at the front door peering with the help of the porch light, at the smallest creature yet to grace our porch.

Chickadees may be smaller, but not by much. This wasn't a bird but a mammal, the tiniest field mouse I've ever seen. The minuscule creature seemed to be oblivious to our hovering presence, not nearly as alert as some very aware animals like skunks or crows. The mouse was busy skeetering around amidst the peanuts, selecting one, then another. From its size, I would have expected it to look for bread crumbs but no, it was peanuts the tiny thing wanted to nibble on.

 

The fat and protein in peanuts when accessible, are no doubt a great help to nature's wild creatures who need all the energy they can gather in a food-scarce season, to surmount the rigours of penetrating cold. We've had other little mice about, but this little fella was tinier, and we assumed, very hungry. Irving usually puts out more peanuts when we go up to bed, to ensure that the night-travellers have enough if/when they come by, but he had to wait quite awhile before the mouse left.

 

He also discovered that the rabbit has made a new nest for itself, this time near the top of the rock garden at the side of the house, not far from the porch. He's still using the original nest and snow-tunnel he made in the front garden, but it's likely that the rock garden nest has become his principal residence for the rest of winter. Irving tried him with a large cauliflower floret yesterday, but it's the carrots and peanuts that he prefers.

 

Another full day of sun today, bright and crisp. Very crisp, as in icy-cold, with wind added to it. When we were out in the ravine this afternoon a little earlier than usual, it was -12C, and we could feel it getting colder; by the time we returned home the temperature had dropped a degree and a half, and was still dropping. The penetrating wind made it seem of course, much colder.

 

 

A far cry from the comfort we enjoyed last night having our dinner. Irving suggested that instead of rice, for our chicken soup we could have matzo-meal dumplings for a change, and I thought it was a good idea. He'd made that suggestion while we were out in the ravine yesterday on the forest trails. The cold and searing wind obviously spurring him to think of comfort. Well, today was even colder. I could feel my cheeks stiffening with the cold and drew up the turtleneck under my jacket around my mouth and cheeks and that helped.

 

So cold it was that the robins usually flitting about at the far end of the creek were nowhere to be seen. But the sun cheered the landscape up immensely wherever it winked through the forest canopy. And of necessity we moved along faster than usual, to generate a little more body heat, which works out better for Jackie and Jillie since standing about speaking with other hikers or tardily taking our time can affect their little feet even with their boots.

 

We'll have soup again tonight at dinnertime, a vegetable soup, hot and warming and nutritious. And likely sandwiches will do us since last night's dinner was a typically heavy Friday-night meal. And then, there's the leftover coconut cream pie from the treat I had prepared for Irving's birthday yesterday, and that'll do for dessert, second night in a row.