“Over the glimmering wastes of virgin snow..."

-Lucy Maud Montgomery

The southeast tasted winter last night.

Here in North Carolina we woke to 3 inches, and the industrious cheer of our feathered friends; Chickadees, Cardinals, Tufted-Tit-Mouse, Nuthatches, and perhaps a few sparrows, robins and Jays.

Hannah and I filled the bird feeders, and laughed when two squirrels performed gymnastic-like moves to get their noses inside the bird feeder's trough. 

A new kind of run today with an untypical challenge of finding traction in powdery white, black ice beneath, and deceptive crunching tire tracks half frozen over. The effort left me dripping with sweat after just 4 - beautiful - hilly - miles.

Nothing fascinates me more than the seasonal changes of a familiar landscape. The dusting of white against the tree bark, limbs, and trunks added shadows and highlights we don't often see. Not sure I'd get to see these subtleties if I didn't have an excuse to go out and play - er...run!