Out in the backyard we have a large marsh dammed up by beavers. In the summer we can canoe all around, as long as we are careful not to get stuck in the more shallow waters where tons of plant life live happily under water. In the winter, particularly after a week of sub zero weather, we can walk on the water, or to be more precise, on the ice. It's strange to walk where you weren't able to only a month ago.

Once out there we were able to observe things that had up until now been only seen through binoculars. Like the muskrat huts that were safe from us in the canoe because we couldn't get through the plants to see them more closely. Now we stood right next to them. They look like hay stacks and are made of moss and cattails and dirt.

We saw the tell tale cloven hoof prints of deer, and the paw prints of what we decided must be a neighborhood dog. Out in the middle of the body of water, we could inspect the beaver lodge. We had seen that before because we could canoe to it.

We also found a mystery: a large bird carcass surrounded by paw prints. While we thought at first it might be a story of wilderness---a coyote brings down a bird of prey---was probably this: neighborhood dog finds dead vulture. We found a wing on either side of the pond. It was a big bird, possibly a vulture and maybe a crow.

Now we are back inside, nice and cozy, while outside the winds howl and the dark clouds swarm. The blue jay is screaming his dinner bell alert, as we have just refilled the feeder, and also added two suet cakes, which the birds, especially the red bellied woodpecker, love.