Yarding UP

Usually the deer are yarding up way before now. The locals say it usually occurs around Thanksgiving or as soon as we get a heavy snow. They migrate to the area they intend to stay put at during the winter. But with the mild winter this year, they took their time. Steve has been getting pictures of deer on his game camera everyday until two weeks ago. Now nothing as far as deer tracks. They've moved out of the neighborhood for the duration of winter. But yesterday he did see what he is sure are wolf tracks.

There is a restaurant in Hulbert called the Happy Hour. They feed the deer once the hunting season is over. People, young and old, make a point of stopping at the Happy Hour, especially on snowmobiles in the wintertime, hoping one of the two tables by the back windows will be available.

I think one of them cracked the window at some point in time.

It takes them a bit of warming up to the idea that they have to walk forward - closer to the people whose faces are inches from the glass that separate nature and civilization. In the end I think their tummys have the final say!

We didn't lose all our snow. In fact, we still have quite a bit. Conditions for snowmobiling could be better, but die hards are making the best of it and have been passing the house all afternoon. Steve has been at the groomer barn all week helping with mechanical issues. Things seem to be resolved and Steve is currently enroute in the groomer from the Strongs groomer barn to Rudyard. The next couple of days we are due to get an inch or two of snow a day. This morning we awoke to a fresh new inch. Everything was fresh and white again. But that was then... I have windows open now and the birds are chirping like crazy. It sounds like spring! At this moment it is 39 degrees and sunny. If its not going to snow, we'll take it!

Have a great weekend everyone!