Some New Stuff Some old

Hello all fellow trail blazers,

Yes, I am back after taking a few months off. Well, for all the pictures Destiny and I take around this ole cabin as well as our adventures out and about, time well spent has once again paid off. One of my pictures of a red male grosbeak on our christmas tree set outside and put to good use for the birds landed a spot on one of the many calendars I submit to.

Yeah! Destiny's picture of her fox was picked for the cover of our local phone book which has a large coverage area. Our calendars seem to be quite a hit over the holidays making their way out of the state for the Lower 48. With that being said, January allowed us to slow down a bit and catch up on some much needed rest. One practice we have found oursleves doing the last couple of years, rather than discard the christmas tree, I haul it outside and set it up for the birds to land on. I shovel a lot of snow onto the christmas tree and instant shelter as well as another bird feeding station for our visiting birds that come daily. Winter here has been a long cold one, temperatures ranging from sub zero's to the teens. It still dosn't deter me from getting out to watch the birds just a little closer. Moose have once again moved down out of the mountains with tracks around the cabin and seeing them throught out the area we live in. What a thrill I might add, to get up and see cow moose on the edge of the woods nibbling away at willow buds. Just the sight of this big magnificent creature outside the cabin is wonderful. Get a cup of coffee and come sit by the window and watch the birds dart about from feeder to feeder. Downy woodpeckers both the male and females make their apperance, always annoucing themselves before they fly in. The variety of birds making their visit throughout the day is both relaxing and pleasing. Chickadees arriving at first light followed by the red polls. A couple of times we have had birds fly into the windows thinking they were heading towards the woods. One hit hard enough to daze itself and landed in the snow though still alive. The female red poll's body temperature surely would have dropped had it lay there much longer in the snow. It's off to the rescue, picking up the red poll holding it in my gloved palm. I brought the bird into the house and placed it carefully in to a box with a cover. The heat coming from the fireplace over a period of minutes must of been just enough to warm it's core back up, eyes looking responsive. As I peeked into the box to check on the red poll, in a split second, the bird had flown out of the box. Bird loose in the house, bird loose flying and flaping against the window trying to get out. Well the fish net didn't work as the bird was able to get through the net. Next was a small kitchen towel. I was able to carefully surround the bird with the towel and capture it only to let it go outside for another day. Yeah! Another new discovery for our cabin just the other night, while heading around the backside of the cabin with the headlight on my head as I was going to fill the bird feeders after dark, Destiny had heard a noise coming from the outside of the wall thinking it was me. The yard light came on and I thought to myself gee that is kinda odd to have a red squirrel on the wall up towards the peak. Suddenly the squirrel leaped and floated like a bird going across the yard towards the woods. That is not a normal squirrel, but a flying squirrel! What a sight to behold. Have not seen a flying squirrel in quite sometime. Never knew that they even existed in the state of Alaska. Well yet another new discovery as these type of squirrels are nocternal, only coming out at night. Still the visual sighting of the flying squirrel while it flew past me across the yard to a tall evergreen was yet another one of those experience's you get for living a lifestyle you believe in and love living...cabin in da woods. Febuary and still no snow anytime soon. What snow we do have is dirty looking along the roadside. Most of the trails are beat down from over use. Mountain tops in spots are wind blown from lack of deep snow. Though it is still a lot of fun to go to the mountains and snowshoe at higher elevations. Makes me wonder and be concerned for spring and lack of snow. Winter isn't over yet for us.

So I hope you all are staying busy over winter where ever you are. I'm sure we all are looking forward to spring. In the mean time keep the outside adventures going to stay fit for a active lifestyle that many of us lead. Even on my wooden snowshoes, they read: seek wilderness. Umm I like that.

Hey take care all, see you on down the trail somwhere.

Buford T. Porcupine