Tracks to the Wood Pile ~ Coyote Chorus at Midnight


I had just drifted off to sleep last night when I was rudely awakened by the sound of coyotes howling and yapping.  The sound seems to carry well on clear cold nights so they were probably further away from the house than it seemed. We are more likely to hear them in the Summer when the windows are open.

There is a small population of these canines at the golf course a mile away and at the old Christmas tree farm across the street from the golf course. There are also some in the wooded areas on the other side of the bike trail behind our home. They are occasionally seen sunning themselves on a pile of dirt at the golf course or darting between the tall pine trees at the old tree farm. They do help keep the mouse population down but I hope not to see one coming toward me when I am in the yard. They seem to be a bit secretive and shy so that probably won't happen.

 The recent rains have caused a lot of the snow to melt. Our yard has some very wet spots and puddles. The ground is soft so driving the tractor from the woodpile caused some tracking in the mud even though it was done early in the morning when the ground was still a bit firm. The black spots in the yard are caused by ashes from the wood stove. We scatter the ashes over the yard to improve the clay soil. 

 I am more able to get out and walk around the yard now that the snow is gone. Two trips around the yard were taken today. The sunshine made it seem warmer than the 30s.

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