Some snow fell overnight, not much, just enough to powder the puppies' legs halfway up to their bellies first thing this morning. So shovelling out the backyard pathways was the first thing Irving did before breakfast this morning. Also, the temperature had risen and looked as though it meant to continue doing so. Snow was melting off the deck canopy and the ice covering the deck floor was relenting. Now the deck stairs which Irving had covered with a rubber coating many years ago is free of ice and so is the deck floor.

Because of the Arctic freeze-up over the past weekend and the subsequent turn to milder temperatures, area roofers are warning people to be on the lookout for ice dams. They're pretty frightful occurrences, when ice and snow builds up under roof shingles and when it all melts, it backs up causing roof leaks. We had that happen once and it's not pleasant. We're also expecting freezing rain late today and through the day tomorrow.

Before that, though we've had a day of glorious sun and a warming atmosphere. Irving went out to run an errand after breakfast, enabling me to sneak out and shovel the snow at the front of the house. Because of the warming trend the accumulated snow has grown denser and consequently it's suffused with water and heavy.

 

The good thing about that quality of snow is that the trails are no longer slippery. Ascending and descending the hills in the ravine under these conditions leads to firm grips, boots on firm snow, so that's welcome. Also welcome was the sight of the sun burning through the forest canopy, illuminating the upper reaches of the tree spires and turning them a brilliant red. 

Jackie and Jillie had plenty of company this afternoon, their friends casually dropping by to stand to attention, awaiting the inevitable cookie party. Sometimes we see them speeding toward us from afar, sometimes we're surprised when one or two suddenly appear as though from nowhere, parking themselves in front of Irving and patiently waiting for their reward.

This winter season has been a real roller-coaster of weather. Truly, never a dull moment. But we have the advantage of being retired, so we can take it all in stride without, as we did in the past, struggling down a snow-filled street after a heavy snowfall, to arrive at a bus stop and wait there for transportation on the public transit system for late-running buses to take us to our work destinations.