Journal for December 30, 2022

The end of the year brought very wintry weather to most of the country, including us.   For the first half of the month we had just a little snow, so we could still walk up the hills.

View from the Knife Edge Point

 

Buffalo Ridge Prairie

 

It was still warm enough to sit on the bench on Hidden Oaks Point on December 4th.

 

Sunset over the Knife Edge Prairie

 

Then the snow and cold arrived.

 

Snowy driveway

 

Sugar Maples on Maple Ridge

 

East Center Valley

 

Center Valley

 

The Beaver Lake

 

Sunset

 

Then in the last few days the weather changed.  Temperatures rose to way above freezing, snow is melting, and even the beavers have come out and started building again.

This was the beavers’ latest dam – I pulled it out this morning because it’s too close to our culvert.  It doesn’t look like much, but there was more under the water than I expected.

 

The landscape doesn’t look much different – there’s still a lot of snow on the ground, but it’s much easier to be outside.

Morning light and the beavers’ pond

 

I climbed up to the top of the hill yesterday – a slippery walk through some deep snow.   There’s not nearly as much snow on top.

 

Nice to see the valley from above and in the warm afternoon sunshine.