Today dawned clear and cold, but warmed up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit ( MINUS 9.4 Celsius). It was actually very pleasant after the bitter cold of the past two days.
Happy horses
The birds were much happier.
Tufted titmouse 
Nuthatch 
Wren 
Mockingbird lifting off
The starlings parked underneath the pileated woodpecker and waited for bits of suet to fall.
More starling entertainment was provided as they decided it was warm enough to bathe.
Harry was very entertained – he likes the starlings. They are a rowdy gang, but not as tough as they look.
Roscoe is also entranced by the starlings, and all the birds.
I took pictures of the dogs today.
Mistletoe is showing her age – she sleeps a lot 
Cedar is sleeping in this picture, but as fierce on varmint patrol as ever 
Weedy found a nice patch of sun 
Nettie is always on the lookout for treats
The big excitement of the day was that Harlan arrived to empty the dumpster. I had called Grace Hauling this morning and told them not to try to come in here, because I knew we could not clear snow this morning. I had failed to plug in the oil warmer on the tractor, so it needed some time. Also, I had failed to attach the blade, in my optimistic read of 1 to 3 inches of snow forecast. We had about 8 inches of snow. Anyway, the morning was spent shoveling and doing barn work, and then, while we were in the house in the early afternoon, recovering, Harlan came and went without us hearing him. He proceeded to Jane’s house, where he got stuck. By that time, I had started the tractor and was attempting to attach the blade. Soon, Harry came to the rescue, not only getting the blade attached, but also climbing onto the tractor and spending a couple of hours clearing snow. We were too late to help Harlan. He managed to get his trash truck moving and backed out of Jane’s place and all the way down Macs Cove and Earl Drive (almost half a mile!) in reverse. No plowing had been done on Earl and Macs Cove, so Harry cleared the roads in addition to our driveway, and Jane’s. Our hero!
We are both exhausted, but feeling very lucky to have a plucky, working tractor and happy, healthy horses, dogs and cats. I didn’t have time to take pictures, but I must say the cats were very excited to leave the tack room for a while and bask in the sun. It’s funny how warm 15 degrees can feel with the sun shining!
Stay safe, stay well, stay warm. Peace.
Harry the hero indeed! Horses in the snow, it is a pretty sight. A lovely respite this blog, thank you.
Go Harry Go!
I knew you married Harry for more than his good looks.