Well, it has been a quiet post-Christmas couple of days. Today has been one of the most dismal, dreary days of the year, but peaceful, and we are relieved the downpour was not snow – we had almost two inches of rain!
I felt sorry for Harlan on such a miserable day, but he was in remarkably good spirits and did his usual first rate job with the dumpster. I commiserated with him on the wretched weather, and he said that he was surprised to see me out in it. Of course, with animals there are no days off. Chores must be done, as with trash collection. We are very lucky to have someone as competent and dedicated as Harlan, reliable on even the worst days.
Sunday, Boxing Day, was spent writing notes and enjoying a fire, with cool but beautiful weather. Arthur began to get a little braver, but the dogs were still pretty horrifying.
Little Arthur 
Could anyone be afraid of these dogs?
Yesterday, Anne the younger came out for a visit, with a bag full of presents, just what we wanted. We had a lovely time, and a delicious lunch prepared by Harry. It was a perfect sequel to Christmas Day.
Father and daughter
It was warm enough to dine on the porch, which was fun. Outside the bedroom window, Marmalade napped in the sun.
At feeding time in the afternoon, a well rested Marmalade trotted to the barn for supper.
The horses stayed out late in the warm weather despite the lean pasture pickings.
In the evening, little Arthur came upstairs for a visit. He is getting much braver.
Arthur lies on the couch like a real member of the family 
Where are my balls? They were here last week!
Weedy is a world class catcher of treats. I tried to catch him catching with the camera.
Yikes! Catch, Weedy!
At night check, fog was settling in, preparing for rain to arrive.
It was, as I mentioned at the start, very wet today. The horses spent some time sheltering in the shed, where I put plenty of hay, but they seemed fairly unconcerned by the rain most of the day.
The birds had to eat, despite the rain.
Wet weather 
Red bellied woodpecker 
There’s the red belly 
A dove shakes off, behind a goldfinch 
Wet goldfinches 
Birds in the rain
Arthur has now figured out that he can come and go on the basement steps at will.
Arthur
The Maltese King of Cats is not yet sure he approves of the Russian Blue Prince. Diplomacy is ongoing.
“We are not amused”
Stay safe, stay well. Peace.
Anne, I always love your photos of the birds! What is that lovely bird with the white breast, mingling with the cardinal and all?
I’ve so enjoyed your daily blog; gives me a daily smile! Thank you for including me.
Thank you for such kind words, Patti! That bird, on the right side is another red bellied woodpecker. I think it’s a strange name for them, as the red underbelly is so hard to see. And of course, they do have red heads. But the red headed woodpecker is much more starkly red, black and white – alas, more elusive.