WHERE ARE THE ANIMALS--

Max and I took our first hike at dawn today. We did an orbit of our hilly, mostly wooded, newly snow-clad acres—and did not see an animal track. Not one!

We discussed that thoroughly and concluded the critters were smarter than us; they stayed in bed on this cold and gloomy winter morning.

Except for one vole. He had poked his periscope through the crusty, new fallen snow on the trail down by the outlet stream and obviously noted his neighborhood had frozen white overnight. No problem for him.

His search for breakfast was plainly marked by the arced protrusions of his meanderings below the snow surface. His trails looked like a network of swollen capillaries and, no doubt, provided him a very comfortable trek for his morning ritual.

Sometimes it is the things you do not see that are memorable.