Busy  day today. Too much to get through to allow us to get out for our afternoon hike in time to take advantage of ambient daylight  hours. So we were a bit late. I had the kitchen and bathrooms to deep-clean, and bedding and towel laundering to do along with other linens. 

 

All right, I'll come clean with full disclosure. We slept in. Quite late. And then took our time actually getting out of bed. Just too comfortable. And Jackie and Jillie totally agreed. It's comfortable listening to good music in bed on a dark, snowy morning. And mumbling conversations. And what's the hurry, after all? None.

 

 

And then breakfast, of course, we've got to linger long over breakfast For at least as long as it takes to prepare it. And though I'm pretty efficient at assembling everything, it takes time, too. Of course, Jackie and Jillie have to enjoy their own breakfast before we have ours. As well as helping us to dispose of our breakfast. This morning comprised of bananas, half-melons, French toast, tea, coffee; they get their share of the melon and the French toast.

 

By the time I was finished with everything I wanted to turn my attention to putting on a soup for dinner in advance of leaving the house. Because this soup contained a variety of pulses and they need time to 

cook before the vegetables are added. So, finally all of that disposed of, off we went in the waning light of late afternoon expecting it to be cold, and it was.

 

 

The temperature was steadily dropping and by the time we got out it registered -10C, so we moved right along. That movement impelled by the fact that we kept the puppies on leash. When darkness begins to fall we're aware of the possible unseen presence of coyotes, although no one has yet reported seeing or hearing them this winter.  

 

Not a problem with larger dogs, but our two are fairly small. Compounded immeasurably by the fact that when they see another animal their tendency is to bark and run after the other animal. Size is immaterial to them; everything is fair game. And they might end up 'fair game' for a predator, so just to play it safe, darkness equals awareness.

We had a good hike through the trails which are in really fine shape. And on our return I had other things to do, rolling out bread dough for dinner rolls to accompany the soup for one. Finishing up the soup ingredients for another. Folding the now-dried laundry and disposing of it. There, done!