After I wrote my entry yesterday I saved  it so I could insert a few pics but then I couldn't figure out how to retrieve it. I accidentally found it this morning so I published it anyway. I will try to go back and put in the pics today

Hester and Arthur came over several times yesterday but she only flew up 1 other time. The atearest of the day she maintained in her seclusive area.  It had been part of our routine that she would spend a good part of the day just hanging around on the land after she ate. She liked to go to the point where the bulkheads meet and squat down and nap. When she would wake up she would spend sometimes an hour or more stretching her legs and preening.

This is another behavior that she has changed lately too. Now she will briskly waddle over to the edge, jump in and quickly swim to her spot.

I have been awake since about 3:30 this morning. The sleet hitting the metal roof woke me up. I went outside just as daylight broke and within 5 min about 30 ducks flew out of nowhere and landed on the lake in front of me. I could tell pretty quickly which ones were Hester and Arthur because they immediately started to chase the other ducks away. They managed to thin it out to only a Daryl remaining. Not bad - 2 against 30. Lol  I did not want Hester to fly up on the land since there is about 1/2 inch of ice on the ground. I feed them 3 pieces of 100% whole wheat bread and saved some crumbles for the small birds that come over.

It is soo  cold this morning. Everything is frozen. It's not like a solid sheet of ice, its a solid covering of sleet. It says the temp is 26 degrees with the real feel temp of 19. I know that while I was feeding the ducks it felt like my fingers would easily develops frost bite. I don't know how people up North can live like this for several months out of the year. Being grateful I live where I do!

There was an amazing sunset night before last. I was standing at the kitchen sink and something caught my eye. There is a small window in front of the sink that looks out on the lake. I glanced up and it seemed that there was a reddish pink film over the window  - very surreal. I couldn't figure it out so I went outside. the sky was so spectacular!