It's snowing. It's been snowing for weeks. The snow plow has been through twice in the last two days - a record - and there's another six inches of fresh snow down overnight. Very pretty, but very cold. 

Last winter, I could walk a couple of kilometres on the trail nearly every day, but I've just been trudging around a shorter daily route, with my ski pants making that swish-swish sound, my socks slowly creeping down in my boots as I puff through the snow. I have a number of very odd-looking hats and scarves that clash mightily. The chances that I'll meet someone are slim to nil, so I just trudge on, warm and weird-looking. I'm pretty sure I'm becoming an eccentric recluse. Still brushing my teeth and combing my hair, but otherwise, well on the way.

The rabbit and the deer tracks have disappeared, but the birds are flocking in great numbers to the feeders on the back deck. They have a real attachment to Randy: he is the large being who shovels and curses then fills the feeders every morning, usually twice. They are undeterred by the cursing. There's a flock of 50 or more evening grosbeaks, very noisy and bossy, and an equally large flock of redpolls, smaller and better behaved. And of course, lots of chickadees, nuthatches and the occasional juncos.  Birdfeeder TV. It's our entertainment. That, and watching the fire. 

So, yes, life has changed a bit, eh? A cruising friend, still out there, posted a photo of Roger's Beach Bar in Grenada, and that was a bit painful. We still own Nancy Dawson, and the idea that we could up and get back on the water is painful. Must buy a lotto ticket. But we're in the right place at the right time. Randy's mum, who's 89, fell and broke her hip at New Year's (NYE with her at the ER in Yarmouth, no party for sure), and it's been a very tough few weeks following surgery. She's still in hospital, but healing well and looking forward to getting home. Loves to have us visit. It would be awful to be far away while this is going on.  

Too snowy to go anywhere today, so we're cooking a Caribbean feast tonight. Sort of screws up our shop-and-eat-local-only resolution, but pineapple and mango seemed necessary, just this once. Looking forward to jerk chicken, black beans, yellow rice, tropical salsa, plantain (oh, right, that's not local either), and maybe a Painkiller or two. After all, it's still snowing.