I missed seeing the first day of spring but I heard it.  My head was stuck under the covers so I did not see the blowing snow but as I drifted in and out of sleep, I could hear the wind create havoc with the roof vents.  When I finally crawled out of bed in mid afternoon, I noticed that only a small amount of snow had fallen. The wind was still howling; rocking the bird feeders back and forth.

As I watched out the window, the chickadees fought the wind while trying to land on the moving feeders.  The magpies were being blown sideways as they tried flying forward.  The wind had knocked over the snow shovels that were leaning against the garage. It broke off branches from

the willow tree next door.  They were littering my deck.

It was the first time in a couple of days that I saw the yard in daylight.  The snow has melted down a lot.  I can see the dirt in the raised garden beds and the mountain pines that I planted last year are visible.

Two deer came into the yard.  It was the odd couple; one white tail and one mule deer. The bumps on the male's head are getting larger.  I wonder how long it takes for antlers to break through.  I also wonder if the growth of antlers equates to cutting a tooth.  Do the deer experience pain as the antlers grow?  Hmm, that's a question to ponder as the wind howls and the snow swirls.

The forecast is for -20C for overnight.  Happy first day of spring!