We had an unexpected blanket of snow this morning and I have several times throughout the day sat in the chair looking out the window to the back yard, where the birds are eating the seed I put out this morning. Now and then I close my eyes for awhile and open them again- the opening is like a prayer, all those lovely birds against the snow. I’ve seen juncos and white-throated sparrows, song sparrows, a rufous towhee. A flicker figured out how to balance on one of the small bird feeder stations by wrapping his long and prehensile tail around the feeder cylinder. I am glad for the snow. There has been precious little of it this winter.