End of January! Lots of Nature.

This past weekend we woke up to a few inches of heavy wet snow.  When the snow coats everything like this it is so pretty.

 And as the dogs and I walked down the road to do our morning chores the wind was coming through and making brief mini white-outs as it blew the snow off the tree branches.

I spent Saturday finishing up extracting honey from my empty hive.  I got almost 4 gallons of honey.  I really prefer to extract honey when I can do it outside.  And when it is warmer.  The honey doesn't come free from the comb nearly as well when it is cooler.  

And Sam got another deer for us over the weekend as well, which is good because bow season is over at the end of this month and we really needed some more meat in the freezer.  So Monday I filled my canner with venison.  

Speaking of wildlife, I had the good fortune to finally see one of the beavers that have dammed up the creek on Wayne National  Forest that I walk by several times a week!  I observed ripples in the pond and stopped to just watch for a few minutes and the first thing I saw of the beaver was its tail sticking straight up out of the water.  Then it climbed up onto the bank and began gnawing on a sapling.  It was at the far side of the pond from us so I did not get a real good look and I did not have my camera so no photos.  It also froze when Grover barked at it and became almost invisible.  But at least I have finally seen one!  

I also found a possum curled up in one of my cat beds in the barn.  All I could see through the little opening in the plastic tote was fur, and not cat fur.  It did not move when I poked it with a stick, so I hauled it outside and opened the lid.  The possum had been injured by something and had crawled in there to die.  Very strange.

And as I was starting this post, Sam called me and said he had seen another otter in the pond this morning while he was up there working on the sugar shack.  This just does not bode well for the fish in our little pond.  

We have lots of things coming up in our near future.  This Saturday Sam and I are once again  attending the Columbus Winter Beerfest.  We have our hotel room booked and will have a nice dinner beforehand and then will sample many craft beers at this event at the convention center.  This will be our 3rd year attending, though the first year I was the designated driver for Sam and son Sam/Zac/Satchmo and we drove home after the event.  I prefer staying in Columbus and being able to partake of the offerings on tap!

Then next weekend, Grover and I are entered in our 3rd agility trial, once again in Zanesville.  We will be staying overnight again, especially since we will be in the first class on Sunday morning.   And then on the 11th, I fly to Phoenix to spend a week with my brother and his family, my mom, my aunt and my cousin.  Can't wait to see them all!  Sam gets to stay here and hold down the fort.

 I started a new knitting project this week, a cowl that I am knitting with a gradient handspun yarn that I spun last year some time from a commercial merino wool/bamboo blend.  I need a couple easy projects to take on my travels, and this fits the bill.  I am still working on my sweater and have started the hood, but it is really too large at this point to carry along.  I still have a pair of socks on the needles as well.


I will end with some snowy vistas and some funny faces: