There's an advantage to setting out later than usual with the meathead.

This morning it was dawn--at least by the clock on the wall, a little harder tell on yet another gray overcast morning--until we were out the door.

A ragged V of 20 Canada geese flew over as we rounded the corner. Not sure if they still have a hole open in the lake to the west or not. Or where they were headed.

The ice on the town pond is turning that gray, slushy color I don't like. I tried it by the bridge over the neckdown between the two old clay pits.

It immediately cracked and began bubbling, so I yanked Storm off.

The Year of Odd Ice just keeps going.

The ice fishermen moved their shanty several times yesterday by the looks of it. They are working deep water or the drops to deep water.

A lone dove fluttered about the trees on the east side of the town pond. While I was looking at it and trying to see if another mourning dove was with it, I saw a hairy woodpecker working one of the Osage orange trees.

That is one of the advantages of getting out later, after dawn. You just tend to see more wildlife in winter.

I took a picture of the shanty because I wonder if today might be the last for the season for ice fishing on the town pond.

Storm and I cut across the pond. There's something magical about walking on frozen water, even gray, sloppy-on-top ice.

Back in town, a gray squirrel hopped away from our next-door neighbor's gnarled old elm. Down the street, a gray squirrel chased a black squirrel trying to steal away a piece of bread.

Another morning with more changes and movements, even with a mixed bag of weather forecast.