The general consensus of the groundhog population on February 2nd was another six weeks of winter.  We're having another blast of frigid temperatures.  It is supposed to dip to -32C tomorrow night.  It's a good thing that my backyard friends have thick, furry coats.

There was about a half inch of snow on the deck this morning.  The flag hanging from the garage flapped in the wind.  There was a real bite to that wind today.  It created drifting in the open areas.  In some places it swirled up into little funnels.

The chickadees huddled in the branches of the spruce trees.  Their feathers were fluffed out to create some extra insulation.  The woodpeckers fed at the suet feeders.  The magpies were helping themselves to the food tub left out for the deer. 

The deer have been making good use of the heated water pail.  At first they were wary of it but all five stop for a quick sip on the daily visits. 

That nasty wind began yesterday morning when I took my granddaughters out to ski before taking them back home.  It made for a chilly outing so we didn't stay out as long as we had hoped.  They have been enjoying their x-country skis and have been the center of attention when all the adults come skiing by them on the other track.

They have quadrupled the length of track that they are able to ski.  There were some big smiles as they swished over the trail.  I'll be looking into the possibility of booking a private lesson for them so a pro can show them what to do on downhill runs and the proper way to stand up when they've fallen down.  That is my problem as well.  Help I've fallen and can't get up!