Snowed In--- Almost

We have had snow now for 24 straight hours, with more expected today.  At least a foot has fallen if not more, though the howling wind has died, at least this morning.  I was awake at 4:30, got up about 5:15 to utter darkness.  It's now a few minutes before 7:00 and the eastern sky is just beginning to lighten, though off towards Bemus it's threatening.  SUNDIAL OF THE SEASONS entry was about the chickadee, the most numerous bird at our feeder.  They weigh less than a half an ounce and their heart beats up to 700 times a minute, a buzz if you were to listen to them, and they eat their weight each day during the winter to keep their body heat at 105 degrees.  Interesting facts about the chickadee, a small gray bird, with a black cap, white face.

Depending on the weather, we hope to drive over to Long Point and snowshoe through the park, as it would be virgin snow, no snowmobilers yet, just us and occasional hikers, most likely people walking their dogs.  Last night we experimented with a deep dish pizza, from King Arthur Flour, and it turned out really good, thought the directions were vague and not much help.  As usual, the dough did not rise much, perhaps it's too cold, but it did not seem to make a difference in the pizza.  You bake the crust for about ten minutes before pulling it out, layering the mozzarella, then the sauce, then sausage and mushrooms, then grated Parmesan before putting it back in the oven for about 25 minutes.  You let it sit for 15 minutes, to consolidate, then eat.  We ate only half, so it will make a great second dinner, or a couple of lunches.

Just got back from snow shoeing over at Long Point.  We forced ourselves to do it, as we were feeling lazy, but it was worth it to get outside and in the woods.  It snowed a bit but was mostly just cloudy and  gray, though even that has a beauty of its own, especially at dusk.  A few had been on the path, mostly cross country skiers, but we were basically alone.

We also saw a few more tundra swans just out in front of our house, dipping and diving, looking for weeds, as they head south.  Because they were closer to house, it was easier to see how big they actually are.  Three were a dull gray, I assume the young, but they could have been females, too.