It rained all day yesterday. The already compacted and frozen snow was alright to walk on, but in some places there was ice on the snow, and water on the ice, and the rain was bringing a forceful thaw. It was cold, cold, cold in the rain and wind, even though the temperature read +1C. I came home chilled, sad at the ending of winter, and determined not to go out in that ugly weather again until I could walk reasonably, with less fear of slipping on the ice.

Early this morning the full moon was still shining, so I dressed for the cold and headed out. -18C, wind chill -24.

I walked to the pasture.

My fingers were painfully cold by the end of the half hour or more I spent with the moon. And one of the horses came to watch, and nip my parka.

When I turned to go back inside, the sun was just rising.

After a high of plus 7 celsius yesterday, with a pouring rain at one point, today we have plummeting temperatures and high winds. -11, with a wind chill in the -20s.

Walking is treacherous, as all surfaces that were water yesterday are now ice.

The wind is howling in a most impressive way. It’s invigorating to walk in a windstorm like this, worth a few painful fingertips when I returned to the house.

Ice in a rut.

Later in the afternoon…

Snowberry throughout the year.

Here it is at this time of year.

This was in September.

And here it is back in June.

Walking near the creek we saw evidence of recent beaver activity.

Here is a tree that the beavers worked on a while ago. A massive poplar. What a pity (to me; not to them).

This tree was chewed so long ago that moss has begun to grow. Do beavers procrastinate?