We got a lot of snow, (5-6 inches?) and it’s been really cold, so it isn’t going away.

The girls have been home from school yesterday and today. The road out front is solid ice. It’s been fun. The lame part is that the snow boots I ordered for Olivia and Veronica are in transit, and won’t get here until it’s melted. If this is our only snow of the year, I’ll be mad.

When it gets cold like this, the guy at the Wild Bird store said that I need to make sure there’s thawed nectar in the hummingbird feeder early in the morning, because the hummingbirds will make a straight flight for the feeder before the sun comes up. If they don’t get that calorie boost first thing after a really cold night, they could die.

So I set my alarm for 5am two nights ago, and after watching for them and not seeing anything ’til a bit before 7, I set my alarm for 6 this morning. Periodically throughout the day, I thaw the feeder, but I don’t think it’s as crucial as that first meal in the morning.

I set extra seed out in a large, flat tupperware and we’ve had so many birds.

I don’t know how birds are even cuter in the snow, but they are. They flip the snow with their wings, and bounce around on the surface, making those cute little birdy tracks.

I have seen a spotted towhee or two, a few chickadees, and dozens and dozens of Junkos. They’re fun because it’s so easy to tell the boys from the girls, and they have those cute little yellow beaks contrasting their smooth, dark faces. It’s been a blast.

I’ve worked on the stocking a little, ripping out the gusset and re-knitting to about the point I was before. I’ve been spinning the teal Romney I bought into singles that will hopefully be enough to 2 ply into sock yarn for myself.

If not, they’ll be socks for Abby, who wears a lot more teal that I do.

I’m kind of grumpy about the teal. It looked so beautiful in the bag in locks, but once I started carding and spinning it, I realized it’s pretty much the same color as one of the balls of merino top that I have and am completely bored with. What was I thinking? I don’t wear teal. Teal doesn’t match denim very well.

It was $2 for 4 ounces, it looked pretty, and I wanted something to card. That’s why I bought it. Plus, I like how the wool is darker and lighter in parts, so it makes neat color variations.

But it’s still teal.