I am in the middle of a very busy month at work so my outdoor ramblings have been limited.  My backyard deer and birds have been neglected and I was beginning to wonder if they were still going to visit me.  

I've been leaving home in the dark and coming home in the dark for almost a week.  On my last late night, I rounded the corner closest to home and I saw all five of my deer friends lined up at the end of my driveway.  They looked like they were watching for me to come home.

Most of the snow has melted in the backyard.  The only place that has snow/ice banks is on the north side of the garage.  This morning I woke to an inch of snow on the deck.  The deer were out in the snowstorm.  Their coats provided some thick protection against the big, wet flakes.

On my way to work this morning, I saw two moose.  Both were resting in the fresh snow near a willow thicket at the end of the SWC driveway.   

On Tuesday, I took a quick trip to Elk Island to see what has been happening there.  The Canada Geese and the Mallard ducks are back and have found some open water.  The beaver ponds have some small areas that are ice free.

The pussy willows are fully open along the roadways.  I'm certain that there will be many of them included in table arrangements for Easter dinners this weekend.  It is really beginning to look like spring is here.

I've been watching the forecast and it is looking like the temperature is on the rise.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to get some outdoor time in on my next couple of days off.  It's long overdue.