It was a little warmer and a little wetter this week with five days of measurable precip - most of which came as rain, especially in the second half of the week. Yet the total for the week was under a half inch - 0.43".
For the first time in years, we had a January thaw. It had been cold enough long enough that soil and many little ponds were frozen. A short warming trend this week has melted most of the snowpack and created little pools of water over frozen ponds. Hopefully the cold temperatures lasted long enough to at least weaken some invasive insects that have started migrating north and are impacting our forests and fields.
The warmer temps seem to bring out more birds. Juncoes and sparrows have been joined by bluejays, cardinals and nuthatches. Crows and a red-tailed hawk have been around as well. Joining the gray squirrels is a red squirrel (seldom seen in my yard before), and the rabbits.
The local ski hill continues to make snow and bring in families with little kids. There's still plenty of time to enjoy winter.