I love when a day off falls mid-week.  It means that the neighborhood is quiet and so are the ski trails.  

I left home late in the morning; headed to the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area.  It was surprising to see six vehicles in the parking lot.  Even though there were other skiers out there, I didn't meet up with anyone.

This was the fourth time out on skis this season.  I've managed to stay upright each time!  That's amazing because it is the first winter that I've had wax on the waxless skis.  

The tracks on the first half of the trail were in really poor condition.  I have never seen so many animal tracks on the winter trails.  There were moose and deer tracks but even more wolf tracks.  

The second half of the trail had freshly groomed and set ski tracks.  I was the first behind the groomer so skiing was excellent.  I followed some set tracks that ran along the fence line of a grazing pasture.  There was a nice little hill on that section that one can pick up a little bit of speed.    

It was a great outing.  The temperature was perfect.  There was no wind and the snow was amazing.

When I got home I made a coffee and sat down at the kitchen table.  The birds at the feeding station on the deck kept me entertained.  I had done a bit of 'exterior decorating' at the feeder.  There were some evergreen boughs left from the Christmas arrangements so I used them on the table that holds the feeder.  The birds use them as perches and the branches shelter the food from the wind.  I have to say that the greens also make for a nice backdrop when taking photos.

The male and female downy woodpeckers, black capped chickadees and a male hairy woodpecker came to feed.  I heard the pileated woodpecker but it didn't come for a visit today. 

While I photographed the birds just outside my patio door, I noticed that six magpies flew toward the grain dish containing the deer food.  Four blue jays took turns at a tray feeder and the grosbeaks were feeding at a hanging tray feeder.  It was a busy day for the birds in the backyard.

The deer came while I was gone skiing but I refilled their dish when I got home.  Three of them came back and put on a show for me.

The weather this afternoon provided a bit of everything.  The sun came out.  It clouded over.  Freezing rain began falling.  The rain turned to snow and the wind began howling.  It was -8C today which was a far cry from the -28C from a couple days ago.

I don't know what the weather will bring tomorrow but it doesn't matter.  I'll find some sort of outdoor activity to do.