Woodpeckers Galore

Go large if you'd like. Not many of the usual birds out today for some reason, but the woodpeckers were on nearly every tree for a while. This downy woodpecker, thankfully, held still long enough for my slow shutter speed - a necessity due to the low available light.

I didn't spend much time with my camera today, partly because it was densly overcast and partly because we spent the day on snow and ice removal duty. It took the better part of the afternoon and gosh it's getting deep out there. Where we have shoveled (i.e. next to the steps) the snow mounds are well over my waist height now. It's getting hard to find a spot to throw the snow! Hubs decided to take the snowblower down to the walkout lower level of the house (keep in mind that the house is already down the hill from the garage, so the lower level yard is quite a bit farther to go on our steep property). He did so for the dogs... they were having trouble finding a place to do their "business". It can't be fun trying to "go" when the snow is up over your bum... Anyway, he's done that before with relative ease. But with the warmup we had last week, the snow on the hill compacted and got slick. It was fairly dangerous for him to get that beast of a snowblower back up the hill again. I had to watch him struggle, for there was nothing I could do to help; it took an agonizingly long time as the wheels just spun in place and his feet slipped out from under him... We decide that shoveling will have to do next time.

By the time we had the walkways, driveway, stairs, roof edge, deck and dog spot cleared we were bushed. We really are used to lots of snow, being that we live in a snow-belt (areas that are subject to considerable snowfall), but it has definitely been a heavy snow year by recent standards. Honestly though, I wouldn't have it any other way... If you're going to live where it snows... let it REALLY snow! It's much prettier when it's deep, white and covering everything. :)