ICE!

I was up early. I looked outside, and Yep! It was still there! I had seen the start of it when we went to bed last night. There was at least a quarter inch of ice covering the car, the patio and all of the snow! It just glistened in the early morning light.

I was glad I had filled the bird feeder and scattered wheat for the quail when we got home last night. I had no desire to go out in that icy mess. We waited a few hours to see if it was going to melt off, but when it showed no sign of it, we went ahead and cancelled Forry's dentist appointment. We rescheduled it for next week when hopefully the roads are safer.

There are warning about driving on all of the media. Interstate 90 is closed in both directions over Snoqualmie Pass due to ice and falling stares. I-84 is also closed along the Columbia Gorge. There are lines of pulled over semis all over. There was a jack-knifed Uhaul blocking the exit at Ritzville.

It was fun watching the birds under the feeder today. They would come in for a landing and just skate, sometimes sliding 3-4 inches. The quail had quite a time. They had to crack the coating of ice to get at the wheat kernels. I've commented before about how jumpy the birds are. The slightest noise or movement startles them and off they fly.

This afternoon there was quite a crowd. There were sparrows, finches, towhees, and a couple of doves at the feeder and probably thirty or forty quail scratching in the snow for wheat. Suddenly, they all panicked and flew furiously, with one of the quail smacking into the window before he too, flew off. In a moment, I saw why. A small hawk, most likely a Merlin, was sitting behind the car with a little bird in his claws. I went to get the camera, but he flew off, still holding his prey, into the trees.

I guess we are not only feeding seeds to the little birds, but also providing a buffet for the hunters. The cycle of life!

We are once again thawed out, so I did laundry, refilled the water jugs and washed the dishes. Time now for showers. It's raining again and starting to freeze. We may have more of these icy roads yet tomorrow.