The day started out brilliantly. Which describes the effect of the sun blazing through the house windows. It was also very mild, the temperature high enough, cooperating with the sun, to begin melting the snow off the canopy over the deck. Which is a good thing, because it's an awful nuisance to remove the snow when it gets to a dangerous height, using a long-handled roof rake.

 

It's also good timing to have the canopy bare of snow again, because we're expecting another big snowstorm, starting tonight and snowing through the day tomorrow. March is not a weather-benign month in this area. We'll be getting snow squalls and snow falls throughout this transition month. Which means there's plenty of shovelling yet to be done before the season is over.

 

The backyard is beginning to resemble a snow-maze, courtesy of shovelling all the intersecting pathways we've got back there. Each time we have a snowfall, it means one or both of us is out in the back early morning, shovelling the paths clear for Jackie and Jillie. Throughout the course of the winter months the snow tends to pile up to a respectable height. 

 

I decided to bake carrot cake cupcakes for a change. It's always a bit of a puzzler, riffling through my memory bank of recipes, to decide what to bake as a dessert goodie on Fridays. Last night we had a fresh garden salad, and fish and chips. Oven-'fried' chips, and the coating on a side of salmon comprised of Panko, Paremsan, garlic, lemon, pepper and garlic was delicious. Even Jackie and Jillie agree.

 

I included with the grated carrot, raisins, chopped dates and crystallized ginger as well as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger powder. Topping it all off with a cream-cheese icing. A once-a-week indulgence. For most of our mealtime desserts, we have fresh fruit. Yesterday it was purple plums and they were excellent.

 

By early afternoon the sun had gone behind snowclouds, and the temperature dropped. Out in the backyard in the morning it seemed almost tropical, so warm with the sun and a temperature reading of 0C. We were, in fact, quite surprised to find just how cold it felt once we set out with Jackie and Jillie for our afternoon ravine hike. And that, without even any wind, for a change.

 

There's very little snow left on the trees now, all fallen to the forest floor; the influence of the sun and milder weather. The snowpack is voluminous this year, but we can recall winters when we've had far more snow. The footing was excellent, the snow of this past week tamped down level and firm. We saw few other people out for whatever reason, so we literally had the forest to ourselves, for the most part.

 

No sightings of any of the wild creatures who make their home in the forest. We often see far more of our wild neighbours right at home than we do in their habitat. Shortly after we arrived back home from our forest foray, there was the little rabbit that visits us regularly. He had started his winter visits during the dark hours of night, but he's been coming around increasingly early, in daylight. Irving usually puts out little carrots for him around four or half-past four and by the time we go up to bed none of the carrots are left.

 

This morning after breakfast because we had oatmeal instead of our more usual toast, Irving toasted some bread, buttered it, cut it into squares and put it out for the squirrels. It took no time at all before they were all gone.