Our second snow came yesterday, on top of mushy then frozen snow from the days before. The side roads are unplowed. Intersections are treacherous. Ranger Bob took me to the store to get a few items - four-wheel drive Chevy Silverado. The one-mile trip was uneventful.
He was angry we had no cashiers. One worker said, "One hundred people called in today. We don't have enough people." Bob apologized - he hates the robot check-outs.
The bread aisle was empty rather than packed with bread. The aisle is so long it fades into the distance. I have seen categories disappear for storms and other reasons. I never saw the bread disappear like cleaning products.
At home I opened up the Ft. Knox of bird food - 20 pounds of sunflower seeds. Like us, the birds learn gratitude from shortages. I put a pyramid of seeds on each barrel and rang the chimes. All day long the birds and squirrels came in groups, retiring to the next group eat.
Three crows landed and ate a short time. Spotting me at the window made them go to a new location.
Male and female cardinals ate patiently. They have the strongest beaks for opening seeds, so they seem to smirk while going through the quota.
Blue jays are quick to fly in and leave with some food.
Starlings come in a large group and take over the barrel - until one of them spots me and leads everyone up to the branches again. They loiter between serving times, ready to occupy and devour.
Juncos or snowbirds quietly peck through the snow and seeds, either on the barrel or the ground.
Chickadees grab their seed, one at a time, and fly to a safe branch so they can hold the seed with their feet and hammer the seed open with their beaks.
A downy woodpecker stopped for food. His red beany made him especially prominent. I also heard woodpecker noise as one hammered on a tree.
