Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Coyote Nimble Yesterday we awoke to find coyote tracks in the front yard and horse paddock. It appears that two of them leaped the electric paddock fence and crossed to the woods while one skirted along the perimeter. The snow is hard now and they can easily run along the surface. While they generally won't bother horses or livestock and it seems they were just passing through, nevertheless their appearance so close by is a bit too bold for my liking. I spent last evening hanging ammonia soaked rags along the perimeter of the paddock in hopes of deterring any future incursions.

Monday, February 21, 2011 The Opposite of Cold I have started reading Michael Nordskog's wonderful book on the Finnish sauna tradition in America. And Aaron Hautala's fine photographs help to warm my bones this long, cold winter. P.S. For those of you not clear on the pronounciation: the first syllable of the word sauna rhymes with "pow." This is the correct Finnish pronounciation - it was (and is) never pronounced any other way in my family.

Sunday, February 20, 2011 Wile E. Coyote, at your service... A coyote passed over the hardened snow along the south logging road sometime in the past 24 hours. If by any chance he was looking for the Roadrunner, I'm sure his hunt was an unproductive one. Likely, his quarry was a rabbit, whose tracks were also in evidence.