Sharing

I Timothy 6:18 states "That they that are rich in good works should be ready to distribute and willing to share." During a recent ice storm followed by a snow storm it was interesting to see the woodpeckers put this into practice. We normally have three types of woodpeckers come to our suet feeders during the winter months, the Red-Bellied, the Hairy, and the Downy. They seem to take turns at the suet feeders and are willing to share the food that is provided for them as shown in the following pictures.

Learning To Share

A Downy Woodpecker is waiting to see if the Red-Bellied
Woodpecker will share the suet.

A Red-Bellied Woodpecker's Turn

The Hairy Woodpecker's Turn

A Downy Woodpecker's Turn

And A Time Not To Share

A Red Tail Hawk is enjoying a dinner of some varmint he caught
and decided to eat it while perched on the limb of a pine tree near
our lake. The hawk was there for about one-half hour before finishing
the meal, continually looking around to make sure no other bird was
going to disturb a good meal.

Frozen Lake

Our lake freezes over most winters and provides an opportunity for us to get a different perspective of the lake if we take a walk on the ice. The sun was out this day so we decided to walk around the lake even though the temperature was in the low 20's. We saw a lot of deer tracks as well as some human tracks plus several sets of footprints containing three feet (see picture to follow).

A Sunny, But Cold Day

Joe with his back to our frozen lake.

A Three-Toed Sloth?

We saw several sets of these prints, but do not know

what left them.

A Time to Rest

Judith needed a time out.

Footprints

Not all of these were from our walk. Most of them were
from deer that had been on the lake.

Leaving the Lake

Judith starting up the hill from the frozen lake.

A Winter Wonder Land

The following scenes were taken January 29, 2009, the day after we had about 1" of ice accumulation from sleet and freezing rain followed by nearly 5" of snow. Most of the pictures were taken from the road in front of our house. The last two were taken from the lake. It was cold on the outside, but thankfully warm inside.

Looking North-West

Looking North

Looking East

A Lakeside View Of Our House

This picture was taken from the lake looking at the rear of our house.

Frozen, Snow Covered Lake

This view shows our pontoon boat under the coverd slip with the lake in the background.

Weather In Northeastern Ohio

We woke up this morning to a layer of ice covering the trees, bushes, and bird feeders. A typical weather forecast for our area goes like this - Snow showers changing to sleet followed by snow flurries with increasing snow over night with 2"-3" accumulation and temperatures hovering around freezing. The weather summary for December - of the possible sunshine hours for the month, Northeastern Ohio received 14%, well below the 23% average. We do love the seasons!

Coteneaster Encased In Ice

A Dogwood Branch

The Beauty of Ice

A Female Cardinal Eating Under Ice Sickles

A Brave Squirrel Out On The Ice