Dick's Hideaway:

Winter is blowing in

Dick MacKenzie - www.dickshideaway.com

WTH isn't part of my usual vocabulary. I rarely use the phrase.
Today I got the look, though. No mistake. It was the WTH look by a Whiskeyjack staring right into my face from three feet away. He had discovered I threw some mouse soiled, fake oreos out on the feeding platform, mixed in with the delicious sunflower seeds and dried up, frozen old hamburger buns.
At their best, the bulk cookies are terrible - sweet as 20 pounds of sugar each bite, leaving a bloated belly and a night of blowing stink-wind under the blankets. This afternoon's offering added a couple month's worth of storage in a mouse hidey hole in the bottom drawer of a kitchen cabinet at camp.
Winter Solstice has caught up with us on our first night at the Hideaway this winter. It's Mary's first time here since August, so a special beginning to the winter season.
Grace learned to ride on the snowmobile seat, cradled on my lap between my arms. She needs to relax and get more comfortable, but overall she did well, and had to enjoy the trip more than riding in the stagecoach towed behind.
Birds came quickly once we got the fire glowing, smoke blowing, and food served for their hungry little beaks.
Chickadees, Whiskeyjacks, and Bluejays shared the banquet for our great pleasure all afternoon. Even Ray, the resident Raven who lives just down the shore, flew in like a little black bear with wings, for a short visit.
Winter has started in a beautiful fashion. It's a sign, I believe, of wonderful weeks ahead, as long as we don't feed fake oreos to the birds.