The coldest day of the year

Yesterday, the first official day of winter, was not only the shortest but also the coldest day of the year here. When my husband, Dr. S and I left around 8:30 p.m. to a neighbor's solstice party, the thermometer read 1 degree and the windchill made it feel like it was at -21 degrees. Needless to say, I hadn't left the house for the entire day.

While it felt like hell had finally frozen over, it was a mostly sunny day, so my husband picked up his good camera, cleaned the kitchen picture window, and poised himself there to chronicle the many birds that were constantly flitting in and out, trying to keep themselves warm by eating up anything edible they could find.

That's how my husband got these awesome pictures: of a Titmouse landing, working for his dinner by splitting open a seed, and then being buffeted by the gale-like winds.




And this one, of a chickadee and a Titmouse sharing the feeder for a moment.

Or these two of the red-bellied woodpecker eyeing him warily.


Or this one of an annoyed nuthatch wondering why my husband was interrupting his feeding with his rude ogling.

This morning, the temperature is 4 degrees, and the thermostat in our otherwise overly warm apartment is struggling to get over 64 degrees. Winter has arrived with a vengeance.