Frigid Weather

The air is so cold outside that it almost hurts to draw breath while you are out in it.  Taking the doggies out to the yard this morning was an exercise in how not to get frostbite while you involuntarily shiver on your own porch.

The weather channel says that it is 2 degrees here, but I know that cannot possibly be correct for it feels like a far lower number, even in the sunshine.

And, alas, I failed to refill the rapidly emptying bird feeders before the latest snowstorm and cold snap combination hit.

This winter has been fairly cold and snowy here.  Our feeders keep rapidly depleting and I've been barely keeping up with demand.  

Which means this morning that I'll down a little more coffee, pull on my warm Ugg boots, and tromp through the yard in an hour or so, once the sun has made a token effort to warm things, and make my shivery pilgrimage to the feeders.  Can't have the birdies moving on to another yard because I'm too lazy to fill things up, now can I?

I don't know why I have such a fascination with the little winged creatures that devour our birdseed, but I do.

Even now, a brilliantly red male cardinal is tenaciously picking at the seed remnants in the hopes of finding a few last sunflower kernels.  His feathers blaze like the warmest coals in the fireplace, and I wonder if they keep him warm enough in this weather.  He is puffed out to twice his usual size this morning, trying to trap all the extra air, heated by his little body, that he can for insulation.

Feels like a good day to hibernate so long as the hot coffee and cozy slippers hold out here in the house today.  That is once I've refilled the bird feeders anyway.

(Photo via Hannibal Poenaru.  Lovely shot, isn't it?)