itty bits of snow ...

It really is hard to believe that snow season is here. The first snow showed up yesterday morning, and of course by noon or so - poof, it was gone! We had more on the ground this morning, so I had to take some pictures.  This is my gravel driveway with the snow carefully placed on the fallen pine needles. Must have been some hard work on Mother Nature's part.

Here is a little pine, oh about 12" tall, that has some snow stuck in the needles.

A few days ago the side yard looked like this, and it still looks like this (in piles) but with itty bits of snow, which is now gone, so it looks completely like this. I hope this sentence makes sense, I had to read it twice to understand it, but I'm not messing with it any more ... LOL

I have a whole bunch of pictures with snow, but it's funny how we all have to take "firsts" every year ... at least I do! Maybe we can get back to a normal winter in this area as last year we had maybe 14" total. Our normal is anywhere from 4-6 feet! I hope your winter is also normal, or at least as normal as possible.

Have a good day.

The skunk saga ...

Yesterday was the BIG stinky day! I really, really wanted to show you some pictures but the incident had me running around getting bucket, rifle and keeping the dog in the house.

About a week ago I borrowed a trap for the furry little critter .. I placed it by an opening that leads under the house. I had hoped to catch the little 'kitty' and have a friend of a friend come and take it away. I left the trap there for 2 nights with eggs in it. I caught my cat! Nosy Cat. OK, no skunk ...

I moved the trap over by the chicken pen. Set it up with another egg, and waited. Two or three nights went by, no skunk, also no more Cat. I finally just moved the trap over a bit next to the outside wall of the wood shed figuring that the 'kitty' had moved on since it couldn't get into the pen.

Yesterday morning I went out to let the girls out for the day, threw some feed down for them, gave them fresh water and went back to the house. I turned in the doorway to call the dog to come back in - she was "pointing", sort of, towards the wood shed. I took a good look, and the 'kitty' moved! I just about came out of my skin realizing how close - 5 to 6 feet - I had come to the trap ...

I called my friend so he could call the guy that (has no sense of smell) would come and get it live. He sells the scent to the companies that make perfume - makes me look at perfume in a whole new light - ick!!! Any way, this is elk season out here and of course the guy was out in the woods hunting. Hmmm, now what? My friend came down to see if I had taken care of the little problem - no I hadn't, I was still on my first cup of coffee for the day and needed my whits about me. I got my rifle for him and he took care of it, WONDERFUL friend. After the 'kitty' had stopped moving, we dumped it in a bucket and away it went.

Now, when you shoot a skunk, it sprays! My property STUNK to high heaven. I had it embedded in my nose - Oh ick!!! This morning there is still a lingering aroma, but it will fade as days go by. Not fast enough for me, but it will fade.

The trap has to be rinsed down with bleach so it doesn't smell like skunk, evidently even skunks don't like the scent of other skunks. I still have the trap and am waiting to get close to it to see if the smell has left.

I was just a wonderful day yesterday, cough, cough, gag!!!

Hope your day was better. Dang, I wish I had pictures to show...