Kansas is closed, or so it seems watching the news scroll of school and church closings listed below the football game on tv. Our local church service was cancelled due to ice on the roads. We went three days scared to back down our driveway because we didn't know about things like bags of ice melt to spread before ice storms. We were hit with freezing rain and ice pellets over the long holiday weekend.

When Sunday afternoon's warmth melted the driveway we made a run for Dollar General for crucial supplies such as water and dog biscuits.

The bird activity entertained us for days. Our one time best was four male cardinals and two blue jays eating our black oil sunflower seeds I spread on the ground each morning. Visitors to the hanging bird feeders included a flicker, downy woodpecker, nuthatch, and chickadee. We are feeding cracked corn and suet in addition to the sunflower seeds. Few things are as dramatic as a red cardinal on fresh snow. There's something satisfying in getting that first nasty storm over and discovering it's invigorating.