An apple a day...

...may keep the doctor away. Or so the saying goes. Apparently, the lovely, and pregnant, Lolita Squirrel is a believer because no sooner had I put a small pile of apple bits in the basket on the deck, she was there chowing down. Perhaps she knows the importance of a well balanced diet when one is feeding a family ...

Lunch today with our attorney who just made some changes to our wills. We were long overdue on this, so I am glad to have it all done. I had lunch in the attorney's office and met her gorgeous dog, an Irish Water Spaniel named Willo. I brought a camera, of course, and got a few pics of her, the best being here, which shows her gorgeous eyes. I was using the new 50mm lens - first time I've really used it so that was kind of fun.

And if you'd like to see a small assortment of feathered creatures, I posted four shots on Flickr, starting HERE - cardinal, sapsucker, Downy woodpecker and His Royal Redness with a friend. The cardinals have started singing, as have the titmice. And, today for the first time, I heard a woodpecker drumming in the woods. (Woodpeckers don't sing to attract mates - they drum on trees). This all serves to convince me that, in spite of the wretched cover of snow and ice, spring really is going to get here eventually. The birds don't lie...

I've got to work on some tax stuff for a few hours tomorrow, but am also hoping to get out for awhile. All of the local trails are still impassable because of the snow and ice, but I am going crazy being cooped up in the house!

Thanks for sending yesterday's Pileated Woodpecker to the spotlight today. I didn't mention yesterday that this woodpecker is roughly the size of a large crow or raven - a VERY large bird. You'd think that they would be hard to miss, being that large and having a bright red crest, but it is amazing how well they actually blend into their surroundings.

I'm off to figure out a plan for dinner - it may be lox, cream cheese, avocado and capers on an onion bagel with a side of spinach salad... Just a little something I like to throw together... And it goes perfectly with a glass of NZ SB!

Cheers,
Debbi