We had a good dump of snow last week on top of rain (it should not rain here in January). Behind that weather system came normal cold—cold that felt abnormal because it’s been so warm this season.

-20s and -30s remind us where we live and what winter is supposed to be like. But it’s been Christmas-card beautiful out, with every branch highlighted by snow. I’ve been out back breaking trail on snowshoes enjoying the woods. On one trail a moose beat me, clearly preferring my trail over the deeper stuff on each side. The snowshoe hares mostly kept to their own trails, but one decided my snowshoes made a nice runway, too.

Moose tracks on snowed-in snowshoe trail.

Yesterday a big female moose made a pass by the house in daylight, and Rose and I watched it eating birch branches and stripping leaves from the brown fireweed stalks sticking above the snow.

Inside, we’ve kept the fire roaring and made some of our favorite foods (I’ve added some pictures to Arctic tongue).