Squirrel House Revisited

After several years I think 3 now, we finally have some residents to our squirrel house. The house has seen better days. This is it in all its original glory. The porch railing has fallen down, and the wood started to separate in some areas. But these two fat happy squirrels now call it home.
One of my new fuzzy friends was gathering leaves and stashing them inside the box shaped house. I was so excited. The pictures are not great, but they will do for now! The last few days here have been great for wildlife viewing. With our unseasonable 60 degree day we were able to get outside and enjoy it!

Coated in ice

Ice everywhere. It coated the roads, the bushes and trees. The tree limbs are heavy under the weight of the ice, as I was writing this a huge limb broke loose and hit the ground with a thud. The noise was so loud that the dog started barking she though someone was on the back porch. The weather was so horrible that the schools were closed. So far we are lucky and still have our power, but others are not so lucky. If you thought Chicago winters could not get any worse, just add the 20 below zero windchill that is to follow this storm. Chicago winters are long and cold, and the temperature swings are outrageous, so if todays weather is not to your liking, there is always tomorrow!
Thankfully, I will be going to warmer weather this afternoon, as long as the flights are not cancelled.
Merry Christmas to all!
Stay warm.

Snow Therapy

Even though I am not a fan of the cold, I really do enjoy the snow. It is really the only thing I do like about winter in the Midwest. Yesterday at work we took the kids outside for recesses we all needed to get out and get some fresh air. In the play yard the snow was fresh untouched perfect for making snowballs. The kids all under the age of 5 were ready to go. They ran through the back door straight for the snow. It was my watch in the yard, and it was fun. They were throwing snowballs mostly at me, and they wanted me to throw snowballs at them! There was no whining, not a single tattle tail, and no fighting, it was just plain fun. For those 45 minutes we did not have a care in the world except making snowballs. It was snow therapy! I felt refreshed after that play time. I recommend it for anyone feeling a little cabin fever this winter. Get out there with the kids, once you start running around, you will be warm, and they will too!

Need Space?

I am running out of space on my hard drive for the thousands of photos that are stored waiting to be printed, or not. I was searching for a new external hard drive when I came across this great giveaway. Mudpies and Mary Jane is giving away a great external hard drive for either a Macintosh, or a PC. Check out their blog for a chance to win a fantastic storage solution. Mudpies and Mary Jane's contest is running until the 8th so get over there quickly, before time runs out!