Snow is back!

We woke up to light snow and paw prints on the deck. We're wondering what might have come to visit.

Today the snow is pretty because it is blowing around in the wind and if you don’t look at the ground the trees give the impression the ground would be covered in white.

While the boys are at the school the snow powder starts and stops; is blown away, and then the next round starts. Because it is sunny the snow melts and then freezes in the trees and on the grass.

After school the wind comes up, the boys look out the window and see a mule deer running in the back yard. Two more deer join in, all bucks with wide racks. Like big dogs they chase each other up and down the hill, kicking up snow. The take turns locking antlers and pushing one another down the hill. The largest of the group sees us, runs up the hill, and stands under the window staring at us. He doesn’t appear upset; maybe curious??? We are definitely curious. He continues to play up and down the hill, often stopping for a few seconds to look at us.

For perhaps five minutes the deer take turns playing with each other and scratching their antlers against any tree they can engage. When four more bucks appear and they all take off into the meadow behind our house.

P.S. Sunday we stop at a park to look at the field of ice and ask a park ranger about our deer. She said, “I bet they are just acting like teenagers.”