Seventh Day March up for viewing

There's still plenty of snow, but it's good to see the earth on a southfacing slope. On a sunny day, the log is a good place to make plans for this year's garden.
 

We're starting to shake off winter at sillydoggarden. Full-blown spring is still a ways off, but we're seeing the tops of shrubs we haven't seen for months and, if you look hard enough, there is some green besides the conifers. Sound is a big part of the charm this time of year. The tinkle and thump of snowmelt running through the gutters and downspouts, the songs of hungry or sex-crazed (or both) birds and the loud rat-tat-a-tat of pileated woodpeckers, among the coolest birds around here. Check out the photo gallery (sorry, no woodpecker, but not for lack of trying) in the sidebar, top right.

The video (below) isn't much to look at, but it does give a taste of the early spring soundtrack we're hearing from the backyard deck -- the water, the birds and, about 11 seconds in, a pileated woodpecker.