SO LONG COLD FEBRUARY

This last day of February started off like most days of this year's February, cold and dreary.
When I got up I didn't put on my long johns to wear to market as I have almost every other Saturday this winter. Thankfully I had a change of mind after being outside doing the chores and put them on.
Market was very cold today as one of the vendors who sells loose tea cleared their table off after having a very slow year and deciding to move their sales else where and while they were loading the door stayed open canceling out the little amount of heat the old gas heaters put out.
I didn't sell much as the street side parking lot was still icy and a big yellow caution tape gave the appearance that we were closed to passing traffic. I did sell a few things and I am very thankful for those things.
My new friend Susan sat and talked with me causing the time to pass much quicker than it normally would on a day with so few customers.
After market I made a stop at Aldi for a few things for the week and then headed home to get warm for the first time today.
After getting the van unloaded the 4-legged kids were more than willing to snuggle on the couch under a blanket so I could get warm.
We watched the UNC / Miami basketball game which UNC won.
After chores we watched parts of a couple more games of teams we don't really pull for but nothing else on TV !!
On Thursday when everyone was resting from playing in the snow I was watching the birds in the back yard.
I was shocked to see an entire flock of Robins all around and under the feeders. Robins are always around the yard but usually stay up around the garden or pasture and never come to the feeders.
I was wondering what they doing here today but I didn't have to wonder to long before I saw one of them pulling a huge Earth Worm from the ground. The sun had peaked out just for a little while and the warmth must have encouraged the worms out of the water filled ground right into the beaks of the waiting hungry birds.

 This stalking position was very often successful.

 Gotcha  !!!! I couldn't believe they were eating these very large worms !!!

Of course there were many other birds taking advantage of my offerings.
This beautiful female Cardinal struck a pose while waiting for her turn at the feeder.

Little Song Sparrow hopping around in the snow.........

Along with this White Throated Sparrow..........

The Goldfinches are starting to get their golden summer feathers already.......

This White Breasted Nuthatch settled for some suet cake since he couldn't find any peanuts......

This Red Bellied Woodpecker and little Chick-a-dee sharing.......

A Field Sparrow has a seed snack ............

As this February becomes part of my history and I look back over this quickly passing month it has been a memorable one for several reasons.  We have had some record breaking cold temperatures and a really bad ice storm that didn't  cause a lot of tree damage here but put more than an inch of solid ice on the ground which stayed with us for several days in the freezing temps.
We had one very snowy week with two snowstorms dropping 3 inches and 5 1/2 inches only one day apart.
At the beginning of the month I had a breast cancer scare when my yearly mammogram showed a suspicious spot that thankfully turned out to be a lymph node that wasn't showing up before, probably because I lost weight this past year.
That ground hog was correct in his prediction of 6 more weeks of winter weather !!
All in all this has been a good month and I accomplished my goals of getting our taxes all filed along with some cleaning chores.
It is going to end on a nasty weather note tonight as our area is expecting some more freezing rain.

 A beautiful sunset brings this last day of February 2015 to an end as I watch the dark clouds slowly take over the sky.

I am grateful to God for the never ending energy He gives me each day and am looking forward to the challenges He has in store for me in March.
Good Night and God Bless.