-14 Celsius (6 F)

 We have winter. -14 Celsius and holding. Up at Mt. Washington it is a balmy -22 C. But it's closed. No new snow. No skiing. Not yet. We have not had any rain for so long, and there has only been mist and mountain fog with scuffles of snow on the mountain. Looks beautiful though, from our front hill. At this time of year it should be swarming with boarders  and snow enthusiasts.

 It's cold enough to freeze the bird bath solid. Smokey and Spencer's favourite watering hole.  Every day, since the weather changed, I've had to pour hot water over it.  Smokey loves to dabble his paws in the warm water. He leaps up  to lick the ice and smack his paws in the thin layer of water.

 Dawn comes fast these days. So fast that it's difficult to catch that moment when dark becomes light. We are so cold now, the birds require a couple of feedings a day to keep up with them. The mountain range is so vast and pink most mornings. Mt. Washington resort got its start in the 1970's. Two businessmen, named Henry Norie and Alex Linton, proposed Mt. Washington as the 1st organized  ski resort for B.C. It's an easy  half hour drive from Campbell River. But you need chains on your tires in heavy snow.

The land went up for sale in 1979 and sold within 3 hours.  It was so popular when it opened because it was considered above and beyond anything else , cause the resort boasted indoor plumbing. Go Canada.

Eagle roost...

 It's home to over a hundred marmots. Cute, but not cuddly. Important to the ecosystem. The Tony Barrett Marmot Recovery Foundation  has been instrumental to the preservation of this endangered animal.

Mt. Washington also installed an over  and back chair lift, called the Boomerang Chair. Night skiing was then encouraged. And they now had all those indoor washrooms. Just think: First of their kind at any ski facility. People came in droves. (Go Canada)They still do. But for the trails, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, resort facilities....

 Paralymic World Cup events are also held on Mt. Washington

 And while it may be -22C on the mountain, it is a balmy -14 here down below. The cats are almost too cold to chase birds............Spencer sat this morning on the hill and just watched. He doesn't like the cold. Or the rain. He toddled off in search of his house.

 Mr. Towhee.......cheeky thing......scratched and fed from the seed pan.

 Then Smokey chased him away. Preferring to doze in his corner by the buckets of warmed  water, and chunks of ice. Until it gets too cold even for the him, and he scurried home. May we all have a warm home to go to. May we all be so fortunate.....