SOUND OF THE furnace running woke me up this morning, my first thought was that it must have gotten cold overnight. Rolled out of bed and got dressed and Duncan followed me into the living room. Just a few red coals looking at me from beneath ash in the fireplace. I pulled the screen back and added some kindling and a few sticks of birch then a chunk of maple on top of the ash. Before I could close the screen a few curls of smoke were rising from the kindling. I followed Duncan to the deck door and moving the rolled up rug from the bottom of the door I let the brown dog out onto the snow covered deck. I stood looking out the glass door at the bass thermometer hanging on the siding and the red needle looked like it was resting at about fifteen. I didn’t have my glasses on but I reckon that would be a pretty fair and accurate guess.

Seven inches of snow fell yesterday and it looks like nothing was added overnight. I know this because I had cleared the snow off of a section of railing and it was still clear as I looked at it this morning. No wind blowing as I looked at the top of the big maple and saw the limbs there heavy with snow but not moving. I watched Ed and Eddies nest looking for movement and I saw none. The two squirrels could be in another of their condos elsewhere I guess. Duncan reappeared at the deck door and I let him in, he gave me a quick thank you and heading back down the hall to someone’s warm bed. I sat down in the den and heard the furnace shut down but could now make out the crackling of fire in the fireplace and the quiet of a winter morning.

Next to my desk on the floor sits a cardboard box half full or hall empty depending on how you look at it of Christmas tree ornaments. Right on cue the daughter's cat Buff who thinks he is a retriever comes around the corner with a tree ornaments in his mouth and he is trying to meow with his mouth full. I take the ornament from him and drop it in the box along with the others. I then open up a little box I have on my desk and take out a cat treat. This I give to Buff who then leaves me. Wife and daughter can’t understand why Buff keeps raiding the tree and I just keep smiling to myself.

A typical snow storm in these parts is snow, then cold and then sunshine and then more snow. We got the snow and last night it got cold enough to kick the furnace on. This morning the sun is shinning and not a cloud in the sky. I think it has been over a month since we have had a day of sunshine. No football that I want to watch till later this afternoon so I am thinking maybe I will put off doing any shoveling and me and Duncan will take that walk out on the back trail. I am willing to bet that a few birds will be sunning themselves on the edge of the swamp and will be moving out away from the snow covered pines. Only have a week of bird hunting left and I have bagged a few birds this season but some pan fried Grouse would hit the spot here for supper tonight. Have to end this, the wife is up and she is yelling at me to come help her get the cat out of the Christmas tree here at Lake Iwanttobethere