February Thaw

Just two weeks ago this was the sight from our house porch, another blizzard was blowing through and we were getting darned sick and tired of snow!

But if you don't like the weather in Iowa, stick around, it will change quickly, today we are melting, rapidly. Especially if you went to our basement, which won't happen in this lifetime, no one goes to my basement! (Especially now with the small creeks running through it.)

From the snow bank in the bottom left to the lake that is our pasture. It makes life tough for the industrious beaver living down by the bridge, his home keeps getting flooded but he doesn't let that deter him. He just keeps gnawing away at the trees, retreating to high ground when it floods.

The backyard pond is nearly free of the snow that covered it, I can see the fish on the bottom but there was one floater I had to fish off the surface. I was holding the camera in one hand and using a shovel to lift him out when I lost my footing and fell back into the snow. Mollie and Murphy were ecstatic and bounded toward me to 'help.' I was able to scramble to my feet before they mugged me and the camera.

The chickens are free ranging once again, happy to be out of the coop, scoffing at the snow under foot.

Muddy footprints are all over, ours, the dogs and the chickens.

The best thing about the February thaw was at the pond, the bees are out and about! They are crawling in and out of the entrance hole, pooping all over the roof, doing some winter cleaning. They are holding little bee funerals for those who have expired in the hive, carrying the dead bodies out into the remaining snow. It was a great sight to see.

But there is never a February thaw like one in sunny Jamaica.....

....or beautiful Kauai....

....or the gorgeous Dreams resort in Mexico where Bruce was Todd French's best man at his wedding.

"Sigh..."

Maybe we will do that again someday......