1/29/26 6:30 34F (1C) Cloudy and raining. It is a sodden,  drizzly morning.  Even the owl, calling through the darkness,  sounds wet.                      

  1/27/26 6:30 24F (-5.5C) Dim, thin overcast, no wind. It is a quiet morning. Frozen and icy. If there were more light, it would  sparkle. I can smell the cold ash of last night's fire. Walter Dawg is on watch. A silent sentry, his shadowed form backlit by the...

  1/26/26 7:00 22F (-5.5C) Cold and cloudy. The birds are waking up, their chattering and whistles subdued and muted. Dawn is sneaking in through the dim, gray shadows with barely a whisper.                    ...

  1/25/26 7:45 17F (-8.3C) Calm, partially cloudy but mostly clear, hard frost, no wind.  The sun is still behind Fir Mountain. I am surrounded by a ring of low lying clouds with blue sky overhead. There is no wind. Birds are twittering.  A jay squawks as it...

    1/24/26 7:00 24F (-4.4C) Clear, calm, frozen. Frost bites at my fingers. The edge of my ear stings with cold. Ice forms in my damp hair. It is just getting light out. A beautiful day is dawning. My schedule has filled up and it looks like a busy...

  1/23/26 6:00 29F (1.6 C) Dark, foggy, calm. There was ice on the surface of the cat's water dish this morning. No cars moving yet. There is a light on at the farmhouse across the street. It was quiet out here until Walter heard something I didn't. Now it's not....

  1/22/26 6:00 32F (0.0C) Dark and cold with a light breeze  blowing. An icy mist tickles my face. The rooster is crowing. Walter is barking at the nieghbor, who is buzzing around the street on a noisy little side by side with an amber flashing light on top....

  1/21/26 5:30 28F (-2.2C) Freezing fog. A cold breeze blows through the black trees looming from the murk. Walter is marching sentry, barking harsh commands as he goes: "Halt! Who goes there? What is the password?" Satisfied, he returns to his post, waiting...

  1/20/26 7:45 27F (-2.7C) Cold with a uniform gray overcast. Fog shrouds the surrounding hills. A faint breeze swirls the freezing mist around my face. Someone is already at it with a chainsaw across the street. We got home from the coast last night, having...