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...

    1/16/26 6:30 34F (1.1C) It is quiet, calm, and cloudy this morning. Dry, with very little dew. A tiny sliver of moon glows wanly through the clouds beyond the maple. Tomorrow morning it will be absent altogether. Walter Dawg is nearby,  ever vigilant, ...

  1/15/26 6:30 35F (1.6C) Overcast and  still. The rooster is complaining. Ducks chuckle down by the creek. A dog barks  in the distance, far up the canyon.  Walter is laying by the back door, staring this direction. The general tenor of this morning is muted and...

  1/14/26 6:30 28F (-2.2C) Calm, cold, clear and frosty. The moon is just a fingernail low in the southeast. I didn't hear coyotes but Walter did. He was barking earlier,  but has settled  down for now. Ducks rise from  the pond, muttering "good morning."  They...

  1/13/26 6:30 32F (0.0C) A frosty morning,  filled with stars. The crescent moon is low in the southeast,  just beginning its transit. The coyotes set the dog off this morning.  They sounded pretty close. They've settled down and Walter is in the house,  so it...