Wild weather at January's end

What a crazy wild night we had last night! Yesterday there were gale force winds and tornadoes all around the state, and warm temperatures (75F for the high) followed by torrential rains. Today the sun is shining, but it's still very windy, and the temperature is dropping. Tomorrow night the low is supposed to be 21F. What an incredible range of temperatures we've had this month--you never know how to dress.

The little wild  birds at our feeders have been stuffing themselves with seed. We've been seeing lots of small species recently: house finches, titmice, chickadees, mourning doves, and the ever-present house sparrows. I can barely keep up with refilling the feeders on our coldest days, and on mornings when it's below freezing outside the birds really appreciate it when we add warm water to the frozen birdbath. The squirrels also love our offerings. We've tried buying the cheaper "squirrel mix"  for them that contains lots of cracked corn , but they ignore that until the more expensive seed is gone. Even the wild animals around this house are spoiled rotten!

We are at the threshold of February, and although I'm still hoping to see some snow, I'm also beginning to dream of spring. Early springtime in the Carolinas is beautiful, and the longer days never fail to lift my spirits. I can't wait for my favorite season to arrive!