What a difference a 13-degree increase in temperature makes!
This morning's early dog walk down the lane felt downright pleasant.
Little Foster decided to join Bridie and me on our first round outside. Normally, he waits until I come back to the house to go out to go potty.
But he was anxious so I let him out, wondering how long he would stay out before wanting back inside.
Yesterday afternoon, he made it just a few feet away from the garage door before deciding that this just wasn't fun.
The ground was so cold that his little paws hurt right away. When you've got four paws on the ground, holding one in the air doesn't help much.
So, I put him back inside. This morning, however, five degrees below zero didn't seem to faze him. He took his time shopping with his nose to fine the right place to do his duty.
I also noticed a physical change in the higher temperature. My legs didn't sting, so I felt no need to hurry back to the house.
I've been out again with Bridie to play ball by the shed, and, again, it felt good to be outside. There is a point with cold weather where it actually feels like the best weather all year.
Today looks like one of those days. The wind has stopped, the sky is clear and the air feels cool but brisk. We had time to clear out trails after the most recent snowstorm so walking on smooth surfaces, though limited, feels great.
Anyway, we've made it through the worst of the cold, but that doesn't mean Facebook won't still light up with screen shots of low temps. It's moving across the nation, and we're seeing today on Facebook similar images of what we posted yesterday.
Yesterday, while Bill was watching the ZAGS women win again in Spokane, I spent considerable time backing up my laptop computer. After taking my desktop to the shop for a tune-up, I discovered that the laptop was just about full to the brim.
That was after Picasa, the editing program, disappeared seemingly forever. I've used it for years but have known that it was being discontinued in favor of other alternatives.
And, so, I'm currently going through a major computer transition with the purchase of a portable hard drive and the adjustment to learning and using different photo editing programs.
So, bear with me if things appear to be erratic from time to time. Takes an old brain some time to get into a new groove, but it's all good.
Yesterday afternoon, I also took the dogs for a drive around the Sunnyside loop, and I discovered where the many of the coots, ducks and geese spend the winter.
Sunnyside is just that. Like Hope it's one of the banana belts of our area. It gets a lot of sun and the mountains behind the road protect the area from extreme weather.
The birds have discovered areas in the water where life on cold days is not all that bad. A lot of birds.
It's an amazing sight to see.
I've always heard that most of our deer find spots around Sunnyside to spend the winter, but I'm not sure where.
I have a feeling that some of those which have been hanging around so far into this winter have wished over the past few days that they had headed south when the going was good.
I hope they're doing okay wherever they're hunkering.
With full-blown winter days, it's been good to catch up on some TV, which reminds me that tonight one of my favorite shows will be on again.
If you haven't already tuned into "All Creatures Great and Small" on PBS, give it a try. As always, the show offers a nice escape with its loveable characters, its stories its gorgeous scenery and, of course, its creatures, great and small.
The link below gives a little summary of this season's story.
Happy Sunday. Enjoy the photos, and stay warm.
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